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 (15/10/2024) announced the following list of price concessions for October 2024:

Drug
Pack size
Price concession

Cefalexin 500mg capsules
21
£2.67

Chloramphenicol 0.5% eye drops
10
£2.90

Clarithromycin 250mg/5ml oral suspension
70
£8.48

Clomipramine 50mg capsules
28
£7.93

Escitalopram 10mg tablets
28
£1.65

Flucloxacillin 250mg/5ml oral solution sugar free
100
£5.63

Ketoconazole 2% shampoo
120
£24.00

Levetiracetam 500mg tablets
60
£5.50

Memantine 10mg/ml oral solution sugar free
50
£27.97

Metformin 500mg modified-release tablets
56
£2.93

Metformin 500mg/5ml oral solution sugar free
150
£22.45

Methylphenidate 54mg modified-release tablets
30
£73.62

Metronidazole 0.75% cream
40
£12.35

Mometasone 0.1% ointment
30
£3.39

Nefopam 30mg tablets
90
£3.89

Nortriptyline 10mg tablets
100
£4.54

Olanzapine 10mg tablets
28
£4.27

Olanzapine 15mg tablets
28
£3.74

Olanzapine 2.5mg tablets
28
£1.40

Olanzapine 5mg tablets
28
£2.54

Olanzapine 7.5mg tablets
28
£1.29

Ondansetron 8mg tablets
10
£3.37

Pregabalin 150mg capsules
56
£2.65

Pregabalin 200mg capsules
84
£4.30

Pregabalin 50mg capsules
84
£11.93

Quetiapine 100mg tablets
60
£12.39

Quetiapine 150mg tablets
60
£15.50

Quetiapine 25mg tablets
60
£3.02

Quetiapine 300mg tablets
60
£13.24

Rizatriptan 10mg tablets
3
£8.15

Ropinirole 500microgram tablets
28
£12.37

Sodium cromoglicate 2% eye drops
13.5
£3.14

Tacrolimus 0.1% ointment
30
£25.92

Tacrolimus 0.1% ointment
60
£47.28

For the full list of price concessions granted for October 2024 so far please visit our price concession hub page here.

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 anurgent 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 retrospective top-up payment system applies 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.

Please see our latest funding and reimbursement short video for further information on the recent changes to the price concession process.

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