Dapagliflozin reimbursement prices drop following category change

Reimbursement prices for dapagliflozin 5mg and 10mg tablets will fall from September 2025, with the products moving from Category C to Category M in the Drug Tariff.

The change follows the launch of multiple generic versions of the tablets, used to treat type 2 diabetes, after the UK Court of Appeal upheld an earlier judgement to invalidate AstraZeneca’s patent for the drug under the Forxiga brand name.

As of September, generically written prescriptions will be reimbursed at Category M prices, calculated using actual market data from suppliers, Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has confirmed.

The new prices are £25.89 for 5mg tablets (down from £36.59) and £30.15 for 10mg tablets (down from £36.59). Previously, both branded and generically written prescriptions were reimbursed in line with the NHS list price of Forxiga.

The Department of Health and Social Care is introducing these changes outside the usual Category M quarterly cycle (normally January, April, July and October).

DHSC could not give advance notice in the August Drug Tariff because generics entered the market at the beginning of August. All other Category M prices for July to September 2025 remain unchanged.

For payment claims, generic dapagliflozin prescriptions dispensed and submitted in August will continue to be reimbursed according to the August 2025 Drug Tariff. Branded prescriptions will continue to be reimbursed at the NHS list price of Forxiga.

While most pharmacies are likely to have purchased cheaper generics since early August, those who continued to purchase the brand or maintained good stockholding and dispense this against generic prescriptions will be out of pocket from September.

Category C lists drugs that are not readily available as a generic and their price is based on a particular brand or supplier, while Category M lists those which are readily available, with the reimbursement price calculated by the DHSC based on information submitted by manufacturers.