August 2024 Price Concessions 2nd Update

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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 (23/08/2024) announced the following list of price concessions for August 2024:

Community Pharmacy England and DHSC are still working to finalise concessionary prices for Apixaban tablets. We will share a final update as soon as a decision is reached.

Drug Pack size Price concession
Amantadine 100mg capsules 56 £21.49
Benzoyl peroxide 5% / Clindamycin 1% gel 30 £12.16
Brimonidine 0.2% eye drops 5 £3.48
Cabergoline 500microgram tablets 8 £18.66
Carbimazole 5mg tablets 100 £1.82
Chlorphenamine 2mg/5ml oral solution sugar free 150 £2.85
Clotrimazole 1% cream 50 £3.50
Co-amoxiclav 250mg/62mg/5ml oral suspension sugar free 100 £4.08
Co-codamol 15mg/500mg tablets 100 £3.40
Codeine 30mg tablets 28 £1.31
Codeine 30mg tablets 100 £4.67
Dorzolamide 20mg/ml / Timolol 5mg/ml eye drops 5 £7.09
Duloxetine 20mg gastro-resistant capsules 28 £7.78
Esomeprazole 40mg gastro-resistant capsules 28 £2.32
Famotidine 20mg tablets 28 £17.34
Famotidine 40mg tablets 28 £28.41
Isotretinoin 20mg capsules 30 £10.45
Lamotrigine 100mg tablets 56 £3.84
Metformin 500mg modified-release tablets 56 £4.00
Naproxen 250mg gastro-resistant tablets 56 £2.69
Naproxen 500mg gastro-resistant tablets 56 £7.51
Olanzapine 15mg tablets 28 £3.70
Orlistat 120mg capsules 84 £24.75
Pregabalin 200mg capsules 84 £4.30
Pregabalin 25mg capsules 56 £1.48
Pregabalin 300mg capsules 56 £3.27
Pregabalin 50mg capsules 84 £14.40
Pregabalin 75mg capsules 56 £1.75
Propantheline bromide 15mg tablets 112 £103.99
Quetiapine 300mg tablets 60 £16.50
Sertraline 100mg tablets 28 £1.50
Sertraline 50mg tablets 28 £1.22
Telmisartan 80mg tablets 28 £17.00
Temazepam 10mg tablets 28 £24.69
Zonisamide 50mg capsules 56 £20.84

For the full list of price concessions granted for August 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.