News » DM Zone news, Drug Tariff Updates, England, Wales » Five prices decreased in new Cat H
February 25th 2026
The first 11 prices in the new Category H in March have been published.
In summary, there are five price decreases and six price increases.
These are given below with the February Drug Tariff (Cat C) price given for comparison.
|
Product |
Feb 26 Cat C price |
March 26 |
Price change (%) |
|
Cinchocaine 5mg / Hydrocortisone 5mg suppositories |
£5.08 |
£4.31 |
-15 |
|
Doxazosin 4mg modified-release tablets |
£5.00 |
£5.24 |
4.8 |
|
Etodolac 600mg modified-release tablets |
£15.50 |
£15.56 |
1.03 |
|
Isosorbide mononitrate 25mg modified-release capsules |
£4.22 |
£5.53 |
31 |
|
Nicotine 4mg medicated chewing gum sugar free |
£13.57 |
£10.18 |
-25 |
|
Omeprazole 10mg dispersible gastro-resistant tablets |
£9.30 |
£9.44 |
1.5 |
|
Omeprazole 20mg dispersible gastro-resistant tablets |
£13.92 |
£14.04 |
0.86 |
|
Omeprazole 40mg dispersible gastro-resistant tablets |
£6.96 |
£6.92 |
-0.57 |
|
Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride 60mg tablets |
£3.00 |
£3.02 |
0.66 |
|
Ursodeoxycholic acid 500mg tablets |
£80.00 |
£69.07 |
-13.6 |
|
Verapamil 120mg modified-release tablets |
£7.71 |
£7.67 |
-0.51 |
According to a briefing by Community Pharmacy England, which was involved in the negotiations relating to the new Category H, the Drug Tariff prices for Category H drugs will be updated quarterly in the following months: March, June, September and December.
This means that DHSC will be using lagged data to set Category H reimbursement prices and states that the March 2026 Drug Tariff will be based on market data obtained by DHSC between September – November 2025.
Community Pharmacy England is concerned that the new price-setting arrangements will introduce price volatility and potentially draw more drugs into the price concession process, cause more supply disruptions and increase the risk of dispensing certain branded products at a loss. DHSC maintains that if a pharmacy is unable to purchase a particular Part VIII drug at or below the published Drug Tariff price, an application can be made for a price concession.
