Retrospective reimbursement adjustment for Aymes ActaGain Protein Shot tropical fruit

Following representations made by Community Pharmacy England on behalf of community pharmacy owners, the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) has agreed to make retrospective reimbursement adjustments for all Aymes ActaGain Protein Shot tropical fruit prescriptions dispensed between April 2026 and August 2026.

This was due to an authoring error in the Dictionary of Medicines and Devices (dm+d) which resulted in the NHSBSA incorrectly applying a discount deduction rate of 5% to all prescriptions for Aymes ActaGain Protein Shot tropical fruit. No discount deduction should have applied to this product as it is included in the list of Discount Not Deducted (DND) items in Part II of the Drug Tariff.

This payment issue was identified by Community Pharmacy England’s Pricing Audit Team as part of routine checks to verify the accuracy of the prescription pricing by the NHSBSA.

The NHSBSA is in the process of calculating reimbursement adjustments to refund affected community pharmacy owners any discount deductions that were incorrectly applied. It is anticipated that these adjustments will be included in the September 2026 reconciliation payment, with payments due to be made on 1 December 2026. NHSBSA data showed that fewer than 5% of contractors were affected, with the average adjustment per contractor calculated at just under £6.00. NHSBSA will write to affected pharmacy owners directly to notify them of any payment adjustments due.

Product and/or pricing information held on dm+d is used to inform the reimbursement arrangements of several products dispensed against NHS prescriptions. Community Pharmacy England continues to urge the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to introduce processes to improve the accuracy and quality of product and pricing information held on dm+d and strengthen the requirements for all suppliers to maintain their dm+d product listings.