The November 2023 NHS Drug Tariff has been published and my blog has been updated. The tariff price for Liothyronine 5microgram tablets has risen to 12350 (from 12300).
Link to a blog post of Monthly NHS Drug Tariff prices for Liothyronine products from January 2023 onwards.
I think this is a UK thing. It’s actually four weeks rather than a month. Other countries often have 30 days, which still doesn’t help with months that have 31 days!
The health systems they supply largely determine the numbers in packages.
For example, in Germany, levothyroxine is typically in boxes of 50, 98 or 100!
98 being a Kalenderpackung (calendar pack).
Euthyrox in South Africa is in 28, 30 and 100 packs.
Oroxine in Ireland is in 28, 50, 60, 84, 90, 100, 112 tablets. (Possibly not all are available.)
But in the UK, the NHS positively wants all packs to be the same number. This helps with generic prescribing. And anything that isn't a multiple of 7 can be a problem in terms of precise timing of repeats. It can make things awkward if you allow, say, three days - which is fine when you re-request on a Monday - but not when it creeps round to a Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
There is even an industry involved in repackaging from 30 to 28 and vice versa to allow parallel imports.
It all falls down in so many ways such as that we are simply not allowed to lose a single tablet!
Definitely seems worth adding re-order date(s) to phones or other computery devices. (In addition to writing on boards, pinning notes, and everything else like that!)
I alarm my phone. Also if you go by the NHS app prescribing date which says not before.... (Date) usually allows a week for GP and pharmacy to process your request....so gives u a bit of time to order. 😊
Thank you. I admire your fluency with technology. I feel I do quite well.....but much of it is beyond me, brain fog or not I'm a "pen and paper person" and although I write it down in my diary, and can manage to access the on-line prescription request, I still need to remember to do both things :-).
I'm still likely not going to be able to understand but what does nhs indicative price vs drug tariff price mean? Does this have anything to do with not being able to have supplied the brand you need because of costs?
£123.50 seems a lot for 28tablets. Thoight there was a crackdown on the price?
They must find Armour confusing then as that comes in bottles of 100. Does it mean Armour works out cheaper too? Think it's around £160 per 100. Don't know about the NHS price.
Even worse pricing when you look up Levothyroxine on the Drug Tariff site, 50 and 100mcg = 69 pence for 28 tablets, 25mcg = 78 pence for 28, if I am reading the table correctly.
£123.50 is a lot. Morningside only got into liothyronine when they saw the prices Advanz/Mercury were charging (and getting away with). But that price would appear to be based on both Viatris (Sigmapharm) and Morningside. Maybe they want a CMA investigation?
And they might be unhappy that the prices for 20 microgram tablets have fallen so far.
I really don't think there is much mileage in comparing the costs of 5 microgram liothyronine and (I assume) one grain/60 milligram Armour. No-one could swap those doses.
No not suggesting anyone compares to swop Helvella.... Defo not. I'm interested because of the argument of price sometimes comes my way from doctors to move to lio/, levo. Currently more expensive for me.... good to be prepared. 🤣😂
How come T3 costs way less in Europe? NHS procurement needs to get its act together. You have to wonder whether some "backhander" activity is involved.
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