Pharmacists warned of ‘invalid’ claims as SSP issued for popular heart drug
Pharmacists must ensure a new serious shortage protocol (SSP) for Ramipril 2.5mg tablets is “applied correctly” to payment claims, the negotiator has said.
“For every Ramipril 2.5mg tablet originally prescribed, one Ramipril 2.5mg capsule must be supplied” under a new SSP issued by the Department of Health and Social Care (DH), the pharmacy negotiator announced yesterday (August 6).
Community Pharmacy England (CPE) said that the protocol (SSP071) is effective immediately and made “in response to a significant ongoing disruption to the supply” of the tablets.
“The SSP may be amended or revoked at any time but currently expires on Friday November 15 – we will update pharmacy owners on any changes,” CPE added.
Yesterday, the DH also issued a medicine supply notification for Ramipril 2.5mg tablets, saying that it anticipated the drug “to be out of stock from mid-August until late-October 2024”, CPE said.
Nearly three million items of Ramipril, which is used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure, were prescribed in May alone according to the latest data from OpenPrescribing.
“Ensure endorsements applied correctly”
CPE warned pharmacists that last month, “the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) received a number of electronic prescribing service (EPS) SSP claims that did not meet the requirements for a valid SSP claim”.
“A large number of SSP claims continue to be deemed invalid by the NHSBSA due to incorrect endorsements applied by patient medication record (PMR) systems and/or pharmacy staff,” it added.
“Pharmacy teams are reminded to follow the SSP-specific guidance to ensure endorsements are applied correctly,” CPE said.
“This protocol does not allow for the quantity supplied to be less than the number of days prescribed on the original prescription” and “only allows the substitution of Ramipril 2.5mg tablets”, it stressed.
“Pharmacists must exercise their professional judgement to ensure the alternative product is suitable for the patient,” CPE said.
Last month, the government issued nine SSPs for antipsychotic drug quetiapine to mitigate “ongoing supply disruptions affecting certain quetiapine tablet strengths”.
“Pharmacists will need to call on their clinical expertise to determine which SSP is the most appropriate to use in each scenario and to counsel patients on any changes made to their treatment,” it said at the time.
Meanwhile, CPE last week (July 29) announced that three hormone replacement therapy (HRT) drugs had been discontinued, while 39 batches of an ADHD drug have been recalled.
