March 2024 Price Concessions 1st 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 (15/03/2024) announced the following initial list of price concessions for March 2024:
| Drug | Pack size | Price concession |
| Amiodarone 200mg tablets | 28 | £1.83 |
| Aripiprazole 10mg tablets | 28 | £7.89 |
| Aripiprazole 15mg tablets | 28 | £8.47 |
| Baclofen 5mg/5ml oral solution sugar free | 300 | £3.64 |
| Betamethasone valerate 0.1% cream | 30 | £1.43 |
| Betamethasone valerate 0.1% cream | 100 | £4.99 |
| Bimatoprost 100micrograms/ml eye drops | 3 | £4.46 |
| Bimatoprost 300micrograms/ml / Timolol 5mg/ml eye drops | 3 | £8.79 |
| Bumetanide 1mg tablets | 28 | £2.35 |
| Cefalexin 250mg capsules | 28 | £2.06 |
| Co-careldopa 12.5mg/50mg tablets | 90 | £4.25 |
| Co-codamol 15mg/500mg tablets | 100 | £3.25 |
| Dexamfetamine 5mg tablets | 28 | £22.83 |
| Digoxin 125microgram tablets | 28 | £2.75 |
| Digoxin 250microgram tablets | 28 | £2.75 |
| Digoxin 62.5microgram tablets | 28 | £2.75 |
| Docusate 50mg/5ml oral solution sugar free | 300 | £17.79 |
| Donepezil 5mg tablets | 28 | £1.50 |
| Dorzolamide 20mg/ml / Timolol 5mg/ml eye drops 0.2ml unit dose preservative free | 60 | £25.03 |
| Duloxetine 20mg gastro-resistant capsules | 28 | £8.88 |
| Duloxetine 40mg gastro-resistant capsules | 56 | £11.25 |
| Escitalopram 10mg tablets | 28 | £1.27 |
| Estradiol 10microgram pessaries | 24 | £10.75 |
| Ezetimibe 10mg tablets | 28 | £12.86 |
| Haloperidol 1.5mg tablets | 28 | £3.66 |
| Hydrocortisone 2.5% cream | 15 | £47.25 |
| Irbesartan 300mg tablets | 28 | £1.35 |
| Isotretinoin 20mg capsules | 30 | £10.78 |
| Lamotrigine 100mg tablets | 56 | £3.20 |
| Lamotrigine 200mg tablets | 56 | £4.81 |
| Lamotrigine 25mg tablets | 56 | £1.92 |
| Lamotrigine 50mg tablets | 56 | £2.84 |
| Lansoprazole 30mg gastro-resistant capsules | 28 | £1.30 |
| Memantine 10mg tablets | 28 | £1.30 |
| Memantine 10mg/ml oral solution sugar free | 50 | £45.45 |
| Memantine 20mg tablets | 28 | £1.58 |
| Metformin 1g modified-release tablets | 56 | £2.71 |
| Metformin 500mg modified-release tablets | 56 | £1.83 |
| Metoprolol 50mg tablets | 28 | £3.75 |
| Midazolam 10mg/2ml solution for injection ampoules | 10 | £5.39 |
| Mometasone 50micrograms/dose nasal spray | 140 | £9.20 |
| Montelukast 10mg tablets | 28 | £2.05 |
| Montelukast 5mg chewable tablets sugar free | 28 | £1.21 |
| Morphine sulfate 10mg/5ml oral solution | 300 | £5.45 |
| Orlistat 120mg capsules | 84 | £23.35 |
| Pregabalin 150mg capsules | 56 | £2.25 |
| Primidone 250mg tablets | 100 | £86.95 |
| Risperidone 1mg/ml oral solution sugar free | 100 | £3.13 |
| Risperidone 2mg tablets | 60 | £1.99 |
| Ropinirole 500microgram tablets | 28 | £15.75 |
| Simvastatin 20mg tablets | 28 | £1.10 |
| Simvastatin 80mg tablets | 28 | £1.61 |
| Terbinafine 1% cream | 15 | £3.51 |
| Terbinafine 1% cream | 30 | £7.02 |
| Trazodone 150mg tablets | 28 | £2.14 |
| Trospium chloride 20mg tablets | 60 | £11.36 |
| Zolmitriptan 2.5mg tablets | 6 | £16.45 |
| Zolmitriptan 2.5mg tablets | 12 | £32.90 |
| Zonisamide 50mg capsules | 56 | £16.73 |
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 an urgent 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 new retrospective top-up payment system will apply 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.
