The Department of Health has failed to agree a list of medicines which are in short supply, despite pressure from the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee.
On August 29, the PSNC published a list of 18 generics which, it said, contractors should be allowed to endorse NCSO (no cheaper stock available) because they could not be obtained at or below the Drug Tariff price. Contractors should consider asking prescribers to order proprietary products instead of 13 of the generics so that they did have to dispense at a loss, the PSNC said. It added that the five products for which there was no proprietary equivalent should be deleted from the Tariff.
The products and their equivalents are: ascorbic acid 50mg tablets (no equivalent), 100mg and 200 mg tablets (Redoxon); chlorpromazine 25mg tablets (Largactil); cinnarizine 15mg tablets (Stugeron); clomiphene 50mg tablets (Clomid); glucose 25 per cent I/V infusion 25ml ampoules (none); hydrocortisone 0.5 per cent eye ointment (none); indomethacin 50mg capsules (Indocid); oxprenolol 40mg and 80mg tablets (Trasicor), 160mg tablets (none); salbutamol 25mg/5ml sugar free syrup (Ventolin); sotalol 160mg tablets (Sotacor); spironolactone 25mg tablets (Aldactone); sucralfate 1mg tablets (Antepsin); trifluoperazine 5mg tablets (Stelazine); and vitamins capsules BPC (none).