Drug price concessions have hit a new record high this month, Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has confirmed.
It announced that 219 drug price concessions have been granted by the Department of Health and Social Care (DH) for May so far.
C+D reported earlier this month on CPE’s warning that the second consecutive record month for drug price concessions in April was “indicative of volatility in the supply chain”.
Read more: ‘Likely to get worse’: Warning after record drug price concessions
Some 205 price concessions were announced for April, following 201 announced in March.
It comes after drug price concessions reached a three-year high of 174 in February.
C+D has approached CPE for comment on the new record.
Reporting
The negotiator said it has submitted price concession applications “for a number of other medicines affected by pricing issues this month” and it will issue updates once it hears back from the DH.
It said pharmacies “should continue to report” any issues purchasing a Part VIII product “at or below the stated Drug Tariff price” using its online feedback form on its website.
Read more: ‘Concerning’: Drug price concessions highest in three years
At the time of the record drug price concessions announced for April, CPE said that increase marked a “concerning trend” that reflects “fragility and instability in the medicines supply chain, which is being intensified by the ongoing situation in the Middle East”.
CPE’s research and insights director James Davies said that community pharmacies are “spending hours every day trying to get the medicines their patients need”, and this is “also having a financial impact”.
Read more: ‘This isn’t temporary’: NPA warns of ‘spiralling’ drug costs
The negotiator thanked pharmacy owners for submitting “thousands of reports” which have “been analysed to create evidence for price concessions”.
It said that it continues to “argue for fair medicines pricing to support pharmacy owners” and “press the government for wider solutions to the ongoing volatility in the supply chain”.
Read more: NHS England ‘really worried’ about med supplies, chief exec warns
It comes as the National Pharmacy Association told C+D that the government “must step in to help pharmacies” with “spiralling” drug prices.
And it follows NHS England’s chief executive in April raising concerns that certain medicine supplies could run out within weeks or even days due to the war in the Middle East.
