Reimbursement of Riluzole and Rilutek® tablets dispensed in January 2024
Following supplier list price changes, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) have clarified that the following reimbursement prices will apply to NHS prescriptions for Riluzole 50mg tablets (Part VIIIA Category A) and Rilutek® 50mg tablets dispensed in January 2024:
| Product | Pack size | Published price | Actual reimbursement price |
| Riluzole 50mg tablets | 56 | £300.23 | £342.12 |
| Rilutek® 50mg tablets | 56 | £320.33 | £320.33 |
Please note: This is not an exhaustive list of reimbursement prices for January 2024 under the price change mechanism.
Under the price change mechanism rules, a list price change for generic medicines up to and including the 8th of the month takes effect for prescriptions dispensed in the current month. A price change after the 8th of the month will be applied for reimbursement purposes to prescriptions dispensed one month later.
The prices of certain drugs may fluctuate from month to month and the ‘Price Change Mechanism’ was introduced to ensure that community pharmacy owners are appropriately reimbursed for the drugs they dispense. This mechanism was put in place to increase or decrease the reimbursement prices of drugs to catch up with any changes to market prices. The timing of any price change of a drug determines when the change to its reimbursement price comes into effect – which differs depending on whether the drug is a proprietary or generic product. Proprietary products Generic products (excluding Category M) For non-proprietary or generic products (mainly Category A products and excluding those listed as Category M), the reimbursement price change takes place one month earlier than proprietary products. Where price is based on a generic product a price change up to and including the 8th of the month takes effect for prescriptions dispensed in that same month. Any price change after the 8th takes effect in the following month.
For proprietary preparations, including those listed in Part VIIIA products where the price is based on a proprietary product (for e.g. Category C products), a price change up to and including the 8th of the month takes effect for prescriptions dispensed in the following month. A price change after the 8th of the month will be applied for reimbursement purposes to prescriptions dispensed one month later.
