Two SSPs issued for Adipine® XL 30mg MR tablets and Adipine® XL 60mg MR tablets

In response to a significant ongoing disruption to the supply of Adipine® XL 30mg MR tablets and Adipine® XL 60mg MR tablets, two Serious Shortage Protocol (SSP) have been issued by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

SSP084 Adipine® XL 30mg MR tablets

Effective today, 19 December 2025, SSP084 provides that for every one Adipine® XL 30mg MR tablets originally prescribed, one of the following must be supplied:

One Nifedipine (Adanif® XL) 30mg modified-release tablet, or
One Nifedipine (Neozipine® XL) 30mg modified-release tablet, or
One Nifedipine (Coracten® XL) 30mg modified-release capsule

SSP085 Adipine® XL 60mg MR tablets

Effective today 19 December 2025, SSP085 provides that for every one Adipine® XL 60mg MR tablets originally prescribed, one of the following must be supplied:

One Nifedipine (Adanif® XL) 60 mg modified-release tablet, or
One Nifedipine (Coracten® XL) 60 mg modified-release capsule, or
Two Nifedipine (Coracten® XL) 30 mg modified-release capsules

SSP084 and SSP085, authorised by the Secretary of State, have been developed by clinicians and provide pharmacists with procedures to follow in providing a suitable alternative product to help reduce the number of patients having to return to their prescriber for a replacement prescription.

SSP

For prescriptions (NHS or private) requesting:

Supply permitted under SSP

SSP084

Adipine® XL 30mg MR tablets

One Nifedipine (Adanif® XL) 30mg modified-release tablet

One Nifedipine (Neozipine® XL) 30mg modified-release tablet

One Nifedipine (Coracten® XL) 30mg modified-release capsule

SSP085

Adipine® XL 60mg MR tablets

One Nifedipine (Adanif® XL) 60 mg modified-release tablet

One Nifedipine (Coracten® XL) 60 mg modified-release capsule

Two Nifedipine (Coracten® XL) 30 mg modified-release capsules

These SSPs may be amended or revoked at any time, but currently expire on Friday 6 February 2026 – we will update pharmacy owners on any changes.

Key points relating to SSP084 & SSP085

- This protocol does not allow for the quantity supplied to be less than the number of days prescribed on the original prescription.
- Ensure that patients who are supplied in accordance with this SSP are advised that they may require closer monitoring initially to ensure blood pressure/angina symptoms remain controlled, and to report any adverse effects.
- SSP084 only allows the substitution of Adipine® XL 30mg MR tablets.
- SSP085 only allows the substitution of Adipine® XL 60mg MR tablets.
- Ensure that patients considered unsuitable for inclusion are promptly referred to their prescriber for further advice.
- The supervising pharmacist should ensure that the patient’s prescriber is notified when supplying a patient in accordance with this SSP.
- For endorsing requirements, please refer to NHSBSA’s supporting guidance for SSP084.
- For endorsing requirements, please refer to NHSBSA’s supporting guidance for SSP085. Pharmacists should counsel patients on a change in number of dose units to be taken if substituting with two Nifedipine (Coracten® XL) 30mg modified-release capsules.

Pharmacists must exercise their professional judgement to ensure the alternative product is suitable for the patient.

Pharmacy owners will receive an email to their shared NHSmail account informing them of this SSP and pharmacy teams are advised to read the documentation for SSP084 & SS085 in full and to implement the protocol with immediate effect. Pharmacists are required to read and comply with the requirements outlined within the individual SSP as published on the NHSBSA website for SSP084 Adipine® XL 30mg MR tablets and SSP085 Adipine® XL 60mg MR tablets.

Reimbursement

Reimbursement is for the medicine supplied in accordance with the SSP and not the originally prescribed medicine i.e. in this instance pharmacy owners will be reimbursed the reimbursement price for Adanif® XL, Neozipine® XL or Coracten® XL, depending on which SSP has been used and which product has been supplied. The reimbursement price will account for VAT payment. Supply in accordance with the SSP will result in the following fees being paid to the pharmacy owner, and products supplied in accordance with an SSP are to be considered VAT zero-rated:

One Single Activity fee (currently £1.46)
One SSP fee (£5.35)

Endorsing SSP claims correctly

Community Pharmacy England previously reported that the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) received a number of EPS SSP claims which did not meet the requirements for a valid SSP claim. A large number SSP claims continue to be deemed invalid by the NHSBSA due to incorrect endorsements applied by PMR systems and/or pharmacy staff. We recommend pharmacy owners to regularly reconcile the value of SSP fees on their payment schedules against the number of SSPs declared on the FP34C submission form. Please refer to our new guidance on reconciliation of SSP claims.

If there is a payment discrepancy and it is believed that the correct SSP endorsing guidance was followed, pharmacy owners may consider requesting a re-check of relevant prescriptions and the NHSBSA will be able to explain why the claim was unpaid or rectify the payments.

Pharmacy teams are reminded to follow the SSP-specific guidance to ensure endorsements are applied correctly, and we also have guidance supporting teams raising PMR-specific claiming issues with their suppliers. Click here for more Top Tips on claiming for SSPs.