March 2024 Price Concessions 3rd and Final Update
THIS CONTENT HAS NOW EXPIRED
Update 2nd April 2024:
The 3rd price concession update published below on 28 March 2024 is the final update for March. There are no further price concessions to announce.
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 (28/03/2024) announced the following list of price concessions for March 2024:
| Drug | Pack size | Price concession |
| Amoxicillin 250mg/5ml oral suspension | 100 | £2.49 |
| Aripiprazole 5mg tablets | 28 | £5.64 |
| Benzylpenicillin 600mg powder for solution for injection vials | 2 | £6.01 |
| Betahistine 16mg tablets | 84 | £7.78 |
| Calcipotriol 0.005% / Betamethasone dipropionate 0.05% ointment | 30 | £11.58 |
| Cefalexin 500mg capsules | 21 | £2.50 |
| Cefalexin 500mg tablets | 21 | £2.39 |
| Chlorphenamine 2mg/5ml oral solution sugar free | 150 | £3.24 |
| Cinacalcet 30mg tablets | 28 | £9.58 |
| Clarithromycin 500mg tablets | 14 | £6.26 |
| Clobazam 10mg tablets | 30 | £4.71 |
| Co-amoxiclav 500mg/125mg tablets | 21 | £3.54 |
| Co-careldopa 25mg/100mg tablets | 100 | £9.02 |
| Co-codamol 30mg/500mg capsules | 100 | £5.63 |
| Codeine 15mg/5ml linctus | 200 | £2.75 |
| Dorzolamide 20mg/ml / Timolol 5mg/ml eye drops | 5 | £3.96 |
| Duloxetine 30mg gastro-resistant capsules | 28 | £2.04 |
| Estriol 1mg/g vaginal cream | 15 | £5.45 |
| Etoricoxib 30mg tablets | 28 | £5.32 |
| Famotidine 20mg tablets | 28 | £17.55 |
| Famotidine 40mg tablets | 28 | £28.23 |
| Glycopyrronium bromide 200micrograms/1ml solution for injection ampoules | 10 | £8.58 |
| Hydrocortisone 1% cream | 15 | £2.36 |
| Hydroxocobalamin 1mg/1ml solution for injection ampoules | 5 | £10.84 |
| Ispaghula husk 3.5g effervescent granules sachets gluten free sugar free | 30 | £6.99 |
| Ketoconazole 2% shampoo | 120 | £19.40 |
| Lactulose 3.1-3.7g/5ml oral solution | 500 | £3.13 |
| Latanoprost 50micrograms/ml / Timolol 5mg/ml eye drops | 2.5 | £7.48 |
| Levothyroxine sodium 12.5microgram tablets | 28 | £17.57 |
| Lofepramine 70mg tablets | 56 | £19.20 |
| Mercaptopurine 50mg tablets | 25 | £8.62 |
| Metoclopramide 10mg tablets | 28 | £1.09 |
| Mometasone 0.1% cream | 30 | £3.88 |
| Ondansetron 4mg tablets | 10 | £5.79 |
| Pregabalin 300mg capsules | 56 | £3.08 |
| Pregabalin 50mg capsules | 84 | £4.75 |
| Prochlorperazine 3mg buccal tablets | 50 | £8.47 |
| Promethazine hydrochloride 10mg tablets | 56 | £13.44 |
| Propantheline bromide 15mg tablets | 112 | £100.61 |
| Pyridostigmine bromide 60mg tablets | 200 | £19.33 |
| Quetiapine 200mg tablets | 60 | £3.79 |
| Quinine sulfate 200mg tablets | 28 | £7.65 |
| Rasagiline 1mg tablets | 28 | £42.70 |
| Rizatriptan 10mg tablets | 3 | £5.29 |
| Sodium chloride 0.9% nebuliser liquid 2.5ml unit dose ampoules | 20 | £9.50 |
| Sulpiride 200mg/5ml oral solution sugar free | 150 | £98.50 |
| Tacrolimus 0.1% ointment | 30 | £15.59 |
| Tacrolimus 0.1% ointment | 60 | £31.17 |
| Tamsulosin 400microgram / Dutasteride 500microgram capsules | 30 | £14.83 |
| Temazepam 10mg tablets | 28 | £24.75 |
| Ursodeoxycholic acid 150mg tablets | 60 | £36.77 |
| Zonisamide 100mg capsules | 56 | £20.28 |
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.
