Specials added to new Part VIIID section of the Drug Tariff
From March 2022, the Drug Tariff will include a new section, Part VIIID, which sets out payment arrangements for specials and imported unlicensed medicines to be paid relative to an identified pack size. This is the first of many changes expected to drug reimbursement following the publication of Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC’s) response to the 2019 consultation on community pharmacy drug reimbursement reforms.
Specials listed in Part VIIIB are currently restricted to manufactured non-solid dosage forms (for example liquids, creams, ointments and lotions etc) which, except for products classed as special containers, are reimbursed based on a price per unit above a minimum quantity. In comparison, majority of the specials listed in Part VIIID will be unlicensed medicines (mainly unlicensed tablets and capsules), with reimbursement prices calculated relative to commonly identified pack sizes. The pack size listings are to support Broken Bulk claims which will be permitted for any specials listed in Part VIIID from March 2022. Please note: Broken Bulk CANNOT be claimed for any specials listed in Part VIIIB of the Tariff or for any non-Tariff specials.
The Preface section of the February 2022 Drug Tariff provides advance notice of the addition of 47 specials with different formulations to Part VIIID of the March 2022 Drug Tariff.
See below examples of some Part VIIID specials that will be listed with a reimbursement price in the March 2022 Drug Tariff:
Product | Formulations covered in this Part | Quantity |
Colecalciferol 10,000unit tablets | STD | 12 |
Co-Proxamol 32.5mg/325mg tablets | STD | 100 |
Levothyroxine 25microgram capsules | STD, LF, SF | 28 |
Melatonin 10mg capsules | STD, LF, SF | 30 |
Sucralfate 1g tablets | STD, CF, FF, LF, PF, SF | 40 |
PSNCs Dispensing and Supply team will shortly be issuing further guidance for pharmacy teams on the new Part VIIID arrangements.