A supermarket chain is to sell fertility drugs without profit, claiming it will save patients hundreds of pounds per treatment.
Asda said the decision was part of a move to establish itself as the most competitive pharmacy in the UK
Asda Pharmacy will charge £1,171.41 for drugs to accompany one IVF cycle, saving up to £820 compared with other high street pharmacies, it claimed.
Patient organisation Infertility Network UK welcomed the announcement. Infertility Network UK chief executive Clare Lewis-Jones said:
"Many patients who should be eligible for NHS treatment are being forced to pay for private treatment due to the appalling lack of full implementation of the NICE fertility guidelines plus the incredibly restrictive eligibility criteria being applied by many PCTs.
"Infertility is an illness and patients deserve fair and equitable treatment for it. Infertility Network UK, in its role as lead of the National Infertility Awareness Campaign, will continue to campaign for an end to the 'postcode lottery', but in the meantime this announcement by Asda means that the cost of the drugs will be reduced, which is good news for those patients who are forced to pay for private treatment."
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