PSNC: Shortages putting 'enormous and unreasonable pressure' on contractors
Medicines shortages are putting 'enormous and unreasonable pressure' on contractors, the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has said.
PSNC director of pharmacy funding Mike Dent said that the negotiator is 'disappointed that the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has 'once again imposed prices on a number of lines at lower levels' than it had sought following the announcement of a long list of April concessionary prices.
He continued: 'Medicines supply and pricing issues continue to put enormous and unreasonable pressure on community pharmacy contractors.
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'While the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) trials the use of manufacturer prices rather than wholesaler prices to inform its decision making, PSNC continues to press the need for a fair system to be implemented, the principles of which were agreed by the committee and put to DHSC earlier this year.
A DHSC spokesperson told The Pharmacist: 'The Department has been working with PSNC and the British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA) to ensure reimbursement prices, including concessionary prices, reflect the market as closely as possible.'
The Pharmacist is currently waging a #WarOnShortages, campaigning for more governmental transparency around stock shortages, their effects and their causes.
To tell us how shortages are affecting your business, take our short survey here for your chance to win a £50 John Lewis voucher.
April concessionary prices
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced yesterday (3 May) its final drug price concessions for April.
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The new additions are as below:
| Drug | Pack Size | Price concession |
| Buprenorphine 2mg sublingual tablets | 7 | £1.35 |
| Buprenorphine 8mg sublingual tablets | 7 | £2.39 |
| Doxazosin 1mg tablets | 28 | £0.94 |
| Glimepiride 2mg tablets | 30 | £2.68 |
| Glimepiride 4mg tablets | 30 | £5.73 |
| Pioglitazone 15mg tablets | 28 | £8.82 |
| Pioglitazone 45mg tablets | 28 | £14.15 |
| Tadalafil 5mg tablets | 28 | £14.00 |
| Tolterodine 1mg tablets | 56 | £3.50 |
| Tolterodine 2mg tablets | 56 | £3.47 |
| Topiramate 25mg tablets | 60 | £7.41 |
The DHSC previously granted the following price concessions on 27 April :
| Drug | Pack size | Price concession |
| Digoxin 125microgram tablets | 28 | £1.50 |
| Digoxin 250microgram tablets | 28 | £1.55 |
| Digoxin 62.5microgram tablets | 28 | £1.55 |
| Glimepiride 3mg tablets | 30 | £5.10 |
| Irbesartan 300mg tablets | 28 | £6.97 |
| Mirtazapine 30mg orodispersible tablets | 30 | £1.35 |
| Topiramate 100mg tablets | 60 | £17.00 |
| Venlafaxine 37.5mg tablets | 56 | £3.20 |
The DHSC previously granted the following price concessions on 24 April:
| Drug | Pack size | Price Concession |
| Aripiprazole 10mg tablets | 28 | £3.05 |
| Bicalutamide 150mg tablets | 28 | £16.94 |
| Co-codamol 30mg/500mg capsules | 100 | £4.50 |
| Glimepiride 1mg tablets | 30 | £2.22 |
| Irbesartan 150mg tablets | 28 | £5.12 |
| Irbesartan 75mg tablets | 28 | £2.40 |
| Mirtazapine 15mg orodispersible tablets | 30 | £1.50 |
| Mirtazapine 45mg orodispersible tablets | 30 | £2.00 |
| Oxybutynin 5mg tablets | 56 | £1.87 |
| Perindopril erbumine 2mg tablets | 30 | £4.13 |
| Perindopril erbumine 4mg tablets | 30 | £3.30 |
| Perindopril erbumine 8mg tablets | 30 | £5.85 |
| Pioglitazone 30mg tablets | 28 | £14.85 |
| Topiramate 50mg tablets | 60 | £9.50 |
| Venlafaxine 75mg tablets | 56 | £5.68 |
The DHSC previously granted the following price concessions on 19 April:
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| Drug | Pack size | Price Concession |
| Amitriptyline 50mg tablets | 28 | £2.88 |
| Aripiprazole 5mg tablets | 28 | £2.85 |
| Aripiprazole 15mg tablets | 28 | £3.22 |
| Bicalutamide 50mg tablets | 28 | £17.24 |
| Chlorpromazine 50mg tablets | 28 | £32.47 |
| Lacidipine 2mg tablets | 28 | £2.95 |
| Lansoprazole 15mg orodispersible tablets | 28 | £2.98 |
| Oxybutynin 2.5mg tablets | 56 | £1.11 |
| Phenoxymethylpenicillin 125mg/5ml oral solution | 100ml | £5.96 |
| Phenoxymethylpenicillin 250mg/5ml oral solution | 100ml | £7.43 |
| Ramipril 2.5mg tablets | 28 | £1.04 |
| Trimethoprim 200mg tablets | 6 | £0.40 |
| Trimethoprim 50mg/5ml oral suspension sugar free | 100ml | £3.75 |
To find out more about stock shortages, come to our free sister event Pharmacy Forward on Sunday 10 June at the Birmingham Conference and Events Centre. Go to pharmacyforward.co.uk to register.
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