Expiry of Government stockpile of Paxlovid® (Nirmatrelvir 150mg tablets and Ritonavir 100mg tablets)
NHS England (NHSE) has confirmed that all remaining supplies of Government procured COVID-19 antiviral medicine Paxlovid® (Nirmatrelvir 150mg tablets and Ritonavir 100mg tablets) will expire on 31 May 2025. This follows the recent deletion of Lagevrio® (Molnupiravir 200mg capsules) from Part VIIIC of the April 2025 Drug Tariff after Government stock of Lagevrio® expired on 31 March 2025.
The last delivery date for centrally procured stock of Paxlovid® ordered by pharmacies was 30 April 2025. The last day pharmacies should dispense Government stock of Paxlovid® is 24 May 2025, to ensure that the patient completes the 5-day course before it expires. After this date, any expired stock must be disposed off in the usual manner.
Paxlovid® reimbursement arrangements for May 2025:
- For supplies of commercial stock of Paxlovid®
Commercial stock of Paxlovid® is now available for pharmacies to order from Pfizer via Alliance Healthcare, but these will be charged at the full NHS list price. Any pharmacy that supplies commercial stock of Paxlovid® will be reimbursed the NHS list price as published by the manufacturer on the dictionary of medicines and devices (dm+d). No endorsement is needed on prescriptions where commercially purchased Paxlovid® is supplied. - For supplies of free-of-charge Government procured stock of Paxlovid®
For May 2025, where a pharmacy dispenses centrally procured stock of Paxlovid®, the prescriptions (electronic and paper) must include the “NCSO” endorsement and pharmacies will be reimbursed £2.50 per pack as per Part VIIIC(i) of the May Drug Tariff. Click here to see the full Drug Tariff re-determination.
For more information, Pfizer can be contacted directly via email:
- pfizerukaccess@pfizer.com – for product national reimbursement, access, or price related questions:
- customer.services@pfizer.com – for product supply related questions
Background
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK government procured and purchased COVID-19 antivirals to protect people who were at the highest risk of becoming seriously ill. Both Paxlovid® and Lagevrio® were available free of charge to community pharmacy teams from Alliance Healthcare with pharmacies receiving a nominal reimbursement amount of £2.50 per pack (as outlined in Part VIIIC of the Drug Tariff – Arrangements for Payment of Products Supplied Free of Charge in England).
As pandemic arrangements have ended, the Government are no longer procuring further supplies. This means that once existing centrally procured pandemic stockpiles exhaust or expire, COVID-19 antivirals will need to be ordered by community pharmacy teams in the usual way, and they will no longer be available free of charge.
A pharmacy owner may request a review if they are unable to purchase Paxlovid® without incurring charges prior to May 2025 (or for Lagevrio® prior to April 2025 ). Following a successful review, where pricing issues are identified, any adjustments will be applied by the NHS Business Service Authority (NHSBSA) to the pharmacy contractor’s account at the earliest possible payment date.
Click here for more information on Part VIIIC arrangements.
