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Written question asked by Rachael Maskell (Labour) on Monday, 15 April 2024, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 17 April 2024. It was answered by Andrew Stephenson (Conservative) on Monday, 22 April 2024 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Drugs: Wholesale Trade

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the prices available to (a) large companies and (b) independent pharmacies for the purchase of pharmaceuticals from wholesalers.

Answer

Through the medicine margin survey, the Department assesses whether the reimbursement arrangements pay pharmacy contractors as agreed, as part of the community pharmacy contractual framework. The medicine margin survey considers what a sample of independent pharmacies paid, by looking at their invoices compared to the amount reimbursed by the National Health Service. As large companies are considered to have greater buying power, they are not sampled in the medicine margin survey.

Furthermore, where pharmacies cannot purchase products at or below the Drug Tariff NHS reimbursement price, Community Pharmacy England can request that the Department reassesses the reimbursement price. If a new reimbursement price is issued, it is known as a concessionary price.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
21716
Session
2023-24
Subjects
Drugs Pharmacy Procurement Prices Wholesale trade
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk