Following discussions between Community Pharmacy England and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) regarding medicine pricing issues reported by pharmacy owners, the Department has today (20/03/2024) announced the following list of price concessions for March 2024:
Drug
Pack size
Price concession
Anastrozole 1mg tablets
28
£1.45
Azithromycin 250mg capsules
6
£4.45
Baclofen 10mg tablets
84
£4.22
Clarithromycin 125mg/5ml oral suspension
70
£4.14
Clarithromycin 250mg/5ml oral suspension
70
£5.86
Clotrimazole 500mg pessaries
1
£9.45
Co-amoxiclav 250mg/125mg tablets
21
£3.78
Co-amoxiclav 250mg/62mg/5ml oral suspension sugar free
100
£2.20
Cyclizine 50mg tablets
100
£3.95
Dorzolamide 20mg/ml eye drops
5
£3.41
Duloxetine 60mg gastro-resistant capsules
28
£3.49
Esomeprazole 40mg gastro-resistant capsules
28
£3.82
Etoricoxib 60mg tablets
28
£15.14
Etoricoxib 90mg tablets
28
£14.33
Fenofibrate micronised 160mg tablets
28
£3.40
Haloperidol 5mg tablets
28
£3.84
Mebeverine 200mg modified-release capsules
60
£6.70
Methylphenidate 10mg tablets
30
£2.98
Mometasone 0.1% ointment
30
£3.55
Mycophenolate mofetil 500mg tablets
50
£7.97
Nebivolol 2.5mg tablets
28
£11.51
Nebivolol 5mg tablets
28
£6.00
Nortriptyline 10mg tablets
100
£2.22
Olanzapine 10mg tablets
28
£1.30
Pregabalin 200mg capsules
84
£3.81
Quetiapine 100mg tablets
60
£2.33
Quinine sulfate 300mg tablets
28
£3.65
Ropinirole 2mg tablets
28
£31.51
Sodium valproate 200mg/5ml oral solution sugar free
300
£7.78
Zopiclone 3.75mg tablets
28
£1.70
Zopiclone 7.5mg tablets
28
£1.56
Please note: We are still in discussion with DHSC on a number other medicines affected by pricing issues this month. We will issue further updates as soon as we hear back from the Department.
No additional endorsements are required for price concessions. A price concession only applies for the month it is granted; any prices agreed for concessions requested late in the month will roll over into the following month.
We encourage pharmacies to report any problems obtaining a Part VIII product at or below the stated Drug Tariff price, using the online feedback form on the Community Pharmacy England website. Please include full details of the supplier and price paid for any products sourced above the Drug Tariff price. We will investigate the extent of the problem and, if appropriate, discuss the issue with DHSC.
Please subscribe to our mailing list to receive email updates of any price concessions.
Further information on price concessions and FAQs about the process involved can be found on our website (cpe.org.uk/priceconcessions) To hear more on how the current price concessions system operates, pharmacy teams can now access a recording of our recent Medicines Supply and Concessions Briefing webinar here.
Improvements to the price concession system
Following significant concerns raised by pharmacies about the unsustainable level of prices imposed by DHSC in second half of 2022, it was agreed that an urgent review of the price concession setting system would take place.
Since this announcement, we have sent a strong and clear message back to Government that pharmacies cannot continue to subsidise the NHS medicines bill. Following the review of the concessionary price process, a package of measures has been developed to improve the system.
One of the solutions agreed between us and DHSC is that from 1st April 2023, all products granted a concessionary price will be classified as ‘Discount Not Deducted’ for the month(s) in which they are on concession.
In May 2023, DHSC implemented a process to roll over to the following month any agreed prices for concessions requested on or after the 23rd of the month.
Furthermore, from April 2024, a new retrospective top-up payment system will apply to products granted very low concessionary prices by DHSC when compared to the average purchase prices identified via the Margins survey. Further information on the top-up mechanism can be found here.
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