Drug Tariff News
4th April 2023 - Source: Amanda Chell
March Drug Tariff News
Additions to Part 2
Only 1 item has been added to Part 2 of the March Drug Tariff.
Procyclidine 5mg/5ml oral solution sugar free
Items which fall into part 2 generally have no wholesaler discount and so you would be dispensing at a loss. Therefore, these are items which you may consider sending the prescription to a local pharmacy.
Additions to Part 8a
Only 3 items have been added to the March Drug Tariff- the 3 are:
- Levocarnitine 1.5g/5ml oral solution pediatric sugar free has gone into the Drug Tariff pack size 20ml and 50ml. Both category C items with the reimbursement price based on Cenote Pharma Ltd.
- Sildenafil 10mg/ml oral suspension sugar free, pack size 122ml has gone into the Drug Tariff as a Category C item with the reimbursement price based on Rosemont Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Reimbursement price is £186.75 and purchase price is the same hence no margin -in fact it will be a loss maker.
- Travoprost 40micrograms/ml eye drops 0.1ml unit dose preservative free, pack of 30 (special container rules (6×5) has gone into Part 8A with the reimbursement price based on Visutrax. Currently available through al 3 mainline wholesalers.
Deletions to Part 2
There were no deletions to part 2 of the March Drug Tariff
Deletions to Part 8a
25 items have been deleted from the March Drug Tariff- ones which I think you will find of interest are:
- Alprostadil 10microgram, 20 microgram and 40 microgram powder and solvent for solution for injection cartridges have all been removed from the March Drug Tariff. These were all discontinued in September 2022.
- Lanreotide 30mg powder and solvent for suspension for injection vials, more commonly known as Somatuline LA. This was discontinued in August 2022.
- Loperamide 1mg/5ml oral solution sugar free, more commonly known as Imodium syrup. This was discontinued in October 2022.
Items which have been removed from the Drug Tariff part 8A can still be prescribed and dispensed but you will need to endorse the prescription with manufacturer, pack size and price paid.
Other Changes to Part 8a
13 items are listed in ‘Other Changes, below are a few items which you may find of interest:
Clotrimazole 500mg pessary and Clotrimazole 2% cream, this product has remained as a Category C item but where the reimbursement price was £6.30 – based on the Soft Gel Combi, the reimbursement is now £5.73 based on the original Canesten Combi. Please take care when ordering this product and use the pip code 2823557 – however all 3 mainline wholesalers are currently out of stock.
- Dienogest 2mg tablets has again remained as a Category C but previously the reimbursement price was based on Kalkya at £20.68, is now based on Dimetrum with a reimbursement price of £20.50.
- Gemfibrozil 600mg tablets has moved from a Category A with the reimbursement price at £45.38 is now a Category C with the reimbursement price based on Lopid at £35.57. Please take care when purchasing this product as the generic is still available but significantly more expensive than the brand
