Thousands of sick pharmacies were on the brink of collapse after pharmaceutical companies tripled the prices of some of the most commonly prescribed antibiotics and painkillers. I can reveal.
The gap between the wholesale prices of frequently prescribed medicines and the amount the government reimburses the pharmacists who dispense them has become so wide that one pharmacist, Amish Patel, said he is now “in a phase of prayer.”
Mr. Patel, a second-generation pharmacist, owns Hodgson’s Pharmacy in Longfield, Kent, where his father started his business almost four decades ago.
Now, after 38 years of community service, the pharmacy, Mr. Patel’s age, is about to close.
He predicts Mr. Patel will be out of business in “two to three years,” largely because he pays three or four times what the government reimburses him for some drugs, he said.
NHS patients in England pay the standard fee of £9.35 for a prescribed drug, while there is no fee in Wales and Scotland. But the actual price of drugs that manufacturers charge can be enormous.
Community pharmacists buy medicines directly from pharmaceutical wholesalers and then receive a flat-rate reimbursement set out in the NHS Business Services Authority Drug Tariff. This rate fluctuates as market prices change and is adjusted monthly on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHSC).
However, pharmacists often buy blind, meaning they have no idea how much they are getting back from the government, and usually get much less than what they paid for.
earlier this week, I reports that the National Pharmaceutical Association (NPA) has warned that thousands of pharmacies will have to close if DHSC does not increase payments.
Mr. Patel, one of those struggling to stay afloat, said it’s a “literally daily occurrence” when he pays wholesalers significantly more than he gets back.
Like many pharmacists across the country, he struggles to get “most of the antibiotics”. The shortage of these drugs led to a sharp increase in prices.
amoxicillin, used to treat respiratory infections; Penicillin; chloramphenicol for conjunctivitis; omeprazole, antacid; and the pain reliever gabapentin are among the commonly prescribed drugs that Mr. Patel lacks.
“Penicillin used to cost a few pounds, now it’s 10 or 11 pounds,” he said.
In recent months, the wholesale price of omeprazole has risen from 80p to £3 for a pack of 28, according to a pharmacist, who said the price of the drug did not reflect the increase.
Mr Patel dispenses about 600 packs of omeprazole per month, bringing his total loss to over £1,200.
Gabapentin, he said, has skyrocketed from £6 to £40 for a 100-pack.
Oddly enough, the busier Hodgson’s Pharmacy is, the more money Mr. Patel is likely to lose: “Of course it’s better for you to have more people coming through the doors – that makes sense. But the more people go through the door…the deeper the hole gets,” he said.
Mr. Patel pays no rent because he owns the building, but he said, “I’m at the top and projections for next year show I’ll be out of business in two to three years.”
“It’s terrible – I have to feed two children. I am at the stage of prayer. I’m incredibly tense.”
Like many other pharmacists, he has already reduced work hours by 2 hours on weekdays and 2.5 hours on Saturdays, and has reduced staff.
The nearest pharmacy is two miles away, and he worries about what Hodgson’s closure will do to the village.
“The pharmaceutical industry is destroyed,” he said.
The DHSC said in a statement: “Community pharmacies play an important role in our healthcare system and we support them with £2.6 billion a year. We have also announced an additional £100m investment in the sector to support support services.
“We are closely monitoring access to pharmaceutical services and there are still twice as many pharmacies in disadvantaged areas as in less disadvantaged areas. We will continue to work with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee to ensure that pharmacists are paid fairly as prices rise.”
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.