Year-round prescribing of flu antivirals now permitted on NHS
Prescribing restrictions on the influenza antivirals Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and Zanamivir (Relenza) have been removed, allowing NHS prescriptions for the medicines to be issued at any time of year for eligible patients.
The change means that prescribers are no longer required to wait for formal notification from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) that flu is circulating in the community.
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Oseltamivir and Zanamivir can now be prescribed year-round on the NHS for patients in clinical at-risk groups and for those at risk of severe illness or complications from flu if not treated.
According to the DHSC, the update forms part of a wider effort to improve access to flu treatment, support early containment of outbreaks and reduce pressure on NHS services during the winter months.
Pharmacy teams receiving NHS prescriptions for Oseltamivir or Zanamivir – whether written generically or using brand names – have been advised to ensure the item is endorsed ‘SLS’ (Selected List Scheme) by the prescriber, confirming that the prescription meets the criteria set out in the Drug Tariff.
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Where the endorsement is missing, the prescription should be returned to the prescriber, as pharmacy staff are not permitted to add the SLS endorsement themselves, according to Community Pharmacy England (CPE).
For electronic prescriptions, prescribers must use the correct SLS function within their prescribing system. The endorsement must not be added as free text in the dosage or ‘additional instructions’ fields, as these are not read by the NHS Business Services Authority.
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On FP10 paper prescriptions, ‘SLS’ must be written against the relevant item by the prescriber.
CPE said that prescribing regulations and the full list of SLS products in Part XVIIIB of the October 2025 Drug Tariff have been updated to reflect the changes.
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