Prices for first 11 Category H products published in the March 2026 Drug Tariff

The reimbursement prices for the first 11 multi-source products moving from Category C to the new Category H have been published in the March 2026 Drug Tariff. Prices for 6 products have increased whereas 5 products have seen a decrease compared to their previous Category C prices.

Ursodeoxycholic acid 500mg tablets (100) has the largest price decrease (reduced by £10.93) whereas Isosorbide mononitrate 25mg modified‑release capsules (28) has the largest price increase (increased by £1.31) compared to their previous prices.

Category H prices will be updated on a quarterly cycle with the next change in June 2026. We understand it is DHSC’s ambition to continue moving eligible products from Category C to Category H in a phased approach over the subsequent quarters. Community Pharmacy England will monitor the impact of these changes and continue to raise any concerns with the DHSC about products that are not appropriate or suitable for entry to Category H.

The table below outlines the the Category H reimbursement prices for the first 11 products from March 2026:

Product	New Category H price (March 2026)	Previous Category C price (based on)	Price increase or decrease
Cinchocaine 5mg / Hydrocortisone 5mg suppositories (12)	£4.31	£5.08 (Proctosedyl®)	↓ £0.77
Doxazosin 4mg modified‑release tablets (28)	£5.24	£5.00 (Cardura® XL)	↑ £0.24
Etodolac 600mg modified‑release tablets (30)	£15.56	£15.50 (Lodine® SR)	↑ £0.06
Isosorbide mononitrate 25mg modified‑release capsules (28)	£5.53	£4.22 (Elantan® LA25)	↑ £1.31
Nicotine 4mg medicated chewing gum sugar free (96)	£10.18	£13.57 (Nicotinell®)	↓ £3.39
Omeprazole 10mg dispersible gastro‑resistant tablets (28)	£9.44	£9.30 (Losec MUPS®)	↑ £0.14
Omeprazole 20mg dispersible gastro‑resistant tablets (28)	£14.04	£13.92 (Losec MUPS®)	↑ £0.12
Omeprazole 40mg dispersible gastro‑resistant tablets (7)	£6.92	£6.96 (Losec MUPS®)	↓ £0.04
Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride 60mg tablets (12)	£3.02	£3.00 (Sudafed® Decongestant)	↑ £0.02
Ursodeoxycholic acid 500mg tablets (100)	£69.07	£80.00 (Ursofalk®)	↓ £10.93
Verapamil 120mg modified‑release tablets (28)	£7.67	£7.71 (Half Securon® SR)	↓ £0.04

We encourage pharmacy teams to report any Category H products unavailable to purchase at or below the stated Drug Tariff price, using our online feedback form on the Community Pharmacy England’s Price Concessions webpage. Community Pharmacy England will investigate these reports and request the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to grant any price concessions, if required.

Background

In December 2025, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced that it will be introducing Category H to Part VIIIA of the Drug Tariff from March 2026. Certain products available from multiple suppliers in Category C will begin to move to Category H in a phased approach. DHSC will set reimbursement prices for multi-source products in Category H using sales data from suppliers obtained under the Health Service Products (Provision and Disclosure of Information) Regulations 2018. DHSC aims to set reimbursement prices this way to better reflect the actual purchase prices of these products and to support fairer distribution of medicine margin.

This change, being imposed by DHSC, forms part of a series of community pharmacy drug reimbursement reforms following a public consultation in 2019. Additionally, this was one of the actions outlined in the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) 2025/26 funding settlement to support medicine margin arrangements.

Community Pharmacy England has objected to the introduction of the changes at this time because of the wider challenges pharmacies are facing and the risk that further changes could disrupt the already turbulent medicines supply chain.

We have published a comprehensive guide to the new Category H, explaining how entry to and price-setting arrangements for Category H will operate, as well as the background to these changes. See links to resources and webinar below.