Community Pharmacy England (CPE) - News updates
MHRA Class 2 Medicines Recall: Mercaptopurine 50mg Tablets (Aspen Pharma Trading Limited)
MHRA Class 2 Medicines Notification: Mercaptopurine 50mg Tablets (Aspen Pharma Trading Limited) Drug alert number: EL(25)A/23 Date issued: 22 May 2025 Aspen Pharma Trading Limited is recalling a specific batch of Mercaptopurine 50mg tablets as a precautionary measure due to microbial contamination following a small number of complaints of discoloured tablets within the packs, identified [...] The post MHRA Class 2 Medicines Recall: Mercaptopurine 50mg Tablets (Aspen Pharma Trading Limited) appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.
Discontinuation of Nystan® 100,000units/ml oral suspension (ready mixed) (Vygoris Ltd)
Pharmacy teams should be aware that the brand Nystan® 100,000units/ml oral suspension (ready mixed) (Vygoris Ltd) 30 ml has been discontinued and is no longer available for community pharmacies to order. Zydus Pharmaceuticals UK Ltd has introduced a generic version of Nystatin 100,000units/ml oral suspension, which is available to order from wholesalers. Please note, where [...] The post Discontinuation of Nystan® 100,000units/ml oral suspension (ready mixed) (Vygoris Ltd) appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.
Medicine Supply Notification: Phenobarbital 15mg/5ml elixir
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has issued a medicine supply notification for Phenobarbital 15mg/5ml elixir. MSN/2025/032 Tier 2 – medium impact Date of issue: 20th May 2025 Phenobarbital 15mg/5ml elixir (500ml) is out of stock until late June 2025. Specials of phenobarbital 15mg/5ml oral solution and phenobarbital 15mg/5ml oral suspension remain available (see [...] The post Medicine Supply Notification: Phenobarbital 15mg/5ml elixir appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.
Medicine Supply Notification: Tolterodine 2mg and 4mg modified-release capsules
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has issued a medicine supply notification for Tolterodine 2mg and 4mg modified-release capsules MSN/2025/031 Tier 2 – medium impact Date of issue: 20th May 2025 Tolterodine 2mg and 4mg modified-release (MR) capsules are in limited supply until mid-August and mid-September 2025, respectively. Tolterodine 1mg and 2mg immediate release [...] The post Medicine Supply Notification: Tolterodine 2mg and 4mg modified-release capsules appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.
Call to expand pharmacy respiratory services to help tackle winter health pressures
Community Pharmacy England has joined forces with the Taskforce for Lung Health to call for pharmacies to be given a bigger role in supporting lung health to improve respiratory health outcomes, enhance access to care, and ease winter pressures on the NHS. A new joint Action Plan to help prevent a future winter respiratory health [...] The post Call to expand pharmacy respiratory services to help tackle winter health pressures appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.
LFD service: Changes to patient cohort eligibility
Following an update to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on antiviral treatment for COVID-19, which removes some of the cohorts of patients eligible for these treatments, these changes will also need to be reflected in the Lateral Flow Device (LFD) service. The changes in the NICE guidance means the following [...] The post LFD service: Changes to patient cohort eligibility appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.
May 2025 Price Concessions 1st Update
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has today (19/05/2025) confirmed the following initial list of price concessions for May 2025. Drug Pack size Price concession Alendronic acid 70mg tablets 4 £1.06 Alfuzosin 2.5mg tablets 60 £4.25 Amiodarone 200mg tablets 28 £2.27 Carbocisteine 375mg capsules 120 £3.06 Clarithromycin 125mg/5ml oral suspension 70 £6.30 Clarithromycin 250mg/5ml [...] The post May 2025 Price Concessions 1st Update appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.
MHRA Class 2 Medicines Recall: BD ChloraPrep Clear – 1mL Applicator (Becton Dickinson UK Ltd)
MHRA Class 2 Medicines Notification: BD ChloraPrep Clear – 1mL Applicator (Becton Dickinson UK Ltd) Drug alert number: EL(25)A/22 Date issued: 19 May 2025 Becton Dickinson UK Ltd has informed the MHRA that some units exhibit an open seal on the packaging of the applicator. This defect could increase the risk of the applicator device [...] The post MHRA Class 2 Medicines Recall: BD ChloraPrep Clear – 1mL Applicator (Becton Dickinson UK Ltd) appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.
CPCF support and next strategic steps focus at May Committee Meeting
Community Pharmacy England met earlier this month in London, with Members reviewing the ongoing work to support implementation of the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) settlement, alongside strategic work to bolster the sector’s position ahead of future negotiations. During the meeting on 1st May 2025, updates were provided on the work to implement different elements [...] The post CPCF support and next strategic steps focus at May Committee Meeting appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.
PQS: Final reminder – Aspiration payment claim window closes today
Pharmacy owners have until 11.59pm today (Friday 16th May 2025) to claim an Aspiration payment for the Pharmacy Quality Scheme (PQS) 2025/26 before the window for claiming this payment closes. The Aspiration payment is optional; if pharmacy owners do not want to claim it, it will not impact on the pharmacy owner’s ability to claim [...] The post PQS: Final reminder – Aspiration payment claim window closes today appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.