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 (28/03/2024) announced the following list of price concessions for March 2024:
Drug
Pack size
Price concession
Amoxicillin 250mg/5ml oral suspension
100
£2.49
Aripiprazole 5mg tablets
28
£5.64
Benzylpenicillin 600mg powder for solution for injection vials
2
£6.01
Betahistine 16mg tablets
84
£7.78
Calcipotriol 0.005% / Betamethasone dipropionate 0.05% ointment
30
£11.58
Cefalexin 500mg capsules
21
£2.50
Cefalexin 500mg tablets
21
£2.39
Chlorphenamine 2mg/5ml oral solution sugar free
150
£3.24
Cinacalcet 30mg tablets
28
£9.58
Clarithromycin 500mg tablets
14
£6.26
Clobazam 10mg tablets
30
£4.71
Co-amoxiclav 500mg/125mg tablets
21
£3.54
Co-careldopa 25mg/100mg tablets
100
£9.02
Co-codamol 30mg/500mg capsules
100
£5.63
Codeine 15mg/5ml linctus
200
£2.75
Dorzolamide 20mg/ml / Timolol 5mg/ml eye drops
5
£3.96
Duloxetine 30mg gastro-resistant capsules
28
£2.04
Estriol 1mg/g vaginal cream
15
£5.45
Etoricoxib 30mg tablets
28
£5.32
Famotidine 20mg tablets
28
£17.55
Famotidine 40mg tablets
28
£28.23
Glycopyrronium bromide 200micrograms/1ml solution for injection ampoules
10
£8.58
Hydrocortisone 1% cream
15
£2.36
Hydroxocobalamin 1mg/1ml solution for injection ampoules
5
£10.84
Ispaghula husk 3.5g effervescent granules sachets gluten free sugar free
30
£6.99
Ketoconazole 2% shampoo
120
£19.40
Lactulose 3.1-3.7g/5ml oral solution
500
£3.13
Latanoprost 50micrograms/ml / Timolol 5mg/ml eye drops
2.5
£7.48
Levothyroxine sodium 12.5microgram tablets
28
£17.57
Lofepramine 70mg tablets
56
£19.20
Mercaptopurine 50mg tablets
25
£8.62
Metoclopramide 10mg tablets
28
£1.09
Mometasone 0.1% cream
30
£3.88
Ondansetron 4mg tablets
10
£5.79
Pregabalin 300mg capsules
56
£3.08
Pregabalin 50mg capsules
84
£4.75
Prochlorperazine 3mg buccal tablets
50
£8.47
Promethazine hydrochloride 10mg tablets
56
£13.44
Propantheline bromide 15mg tablets
112
£100.61
Pyridostigmine bromide 60mg tablets
200
£19.33
Quetiapine 200mg tablets
60
£3.79
Quinine sulfate 200mg tablets
28
£7.65
Rasagiline 1mg tablets
28
£42.70
Rizatriptan 10mg tablets
3
£5.29
Sodium chloride 0.9% nebuliser liquid 2.5ml unit dose ampoules
20
£9.50
Sulpiride 200mg/5ml oral solution sugar free
150
£98.50
Tacrolimus 0.1% ointment
30
£15.59
Tacrolimus 0.1% ointment
60
£31.17
Tamsulosin 400microgram / Dutasteride 500microgram capsules
30
£14.83
Temazepam 10mg tablets
28
£24.75
Ursodeoxycholic acid 150mg tablets
60
£36.77
Zonisamide 100mg capsules
56
£20.28
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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