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You are here: News » News Archive 2006 » Category M Price List for January 2007
Category M Price List for January 2007
Dr Allan Tennant reports
7th December 2006
The latest Category M price list became available on the PPD website yesterday.
I have updated the DDA spreadsheets, which provide all the price changes by quarter and we also rearrange the spreadsheets in order of price change. The spreadsheets are available in the members section of the website.
There are 533 products on the list, 54 will see a fall in price, whilst 476 will see a rise in price. I do not know if this reflects higher factory gate prices or that the government creamed of too much in the previous quarter.
A concern is developing that price changes in Category M can have an adverse effect upon prescribing data, I provide the following examples:
Omeprazole 20mg capsules have gone from being more 8.5% more expensive than Lansoprazole 30mg to 25% cheaper. If this price differential is maintained, cash strapped PCTs will start to encourage GPs to prescribe the cheaper product and doctors who decline may come under unfair criticism.
Gabapentin has been unavailable as a generic at a lower price than the Drug Tariff, so dispensing doctors will have been dispensing as a brand. Again PCTs could criticise doctors for using brands when a generic is available. We would advice dispensing doctors that it is reasonable to use a brand in this instance.
Last year Felodipine was cheaper than generic Amlodipine and there were supply problems with the latter. Some practices changed Amlodipine patients to Felodipine with the agreement of PCTs. Now 10mg Amlodipine is £2.88 for a months supply compared with £6.01 for 10mg Felodipine. Should all the patients be moved back to Amlodipine?
Some Significant Price Rises
Lansoprazole 15mg and 30mg rose by 82p and 83p respectively.
Large tubs of Chlordiazepoxide and Erythromycin 250mg tablets which had dramatically fallen last quarter, will bounce back up in price, but not as high as July’s prices.
Gabapentin 300mg capsules, which had fallen so much that the purchase price was higher than the reimbursement price of £6.66, will nearly trebled in price back up to £18.92.
Pravastatin 40mg tablets will rise by 76%.
Price Falls
Omeprazole 20mg capsules will fall in price by 13% to £4.45 and will be significantly cheaper than Lansoprazole 30mg at £5.55.
Piroxicam 0.5% gel 60g will fall from £12.75 to £2.75.
Lamotrigine will fall between 8% and 16%.
A 30g tube of Hydrocortisone Cream 1% will fall in price from £8.27 to £3.25