Archives: Contractor Email

Dear Colleague

The second update of concessionary prices were granted today for July 2023:

Drug	Pack Size	Concessionary Price
Atorvastatin 40mg tablets	28	£2.25
Chloramphenicol 1% eye ointment	4	£5.18
Clarithromycin 250mg tablets	14	£4.20
Clarithromycin 500mg tablets	14	£9.29
Clotrimazole 1% cream	20	£1.93
Clotrimazole 1% cream	50	£3.99
Co-amilofruse 2.5mg/20mg tablets	28	£3.99
Metoprolol 50mg tablets	28	£2.60
Oxycodone 5mg/5ml oral solution sugar free	250	£9.71
Pantoprazole 20mg gastro-resistant tablets	28	£6.20
Pramipexole 180microgram tablets	30	£9.08
Ropinirole 250microgram tablets	12	£6.70
Spironolactone 100mg tablets	28	£5.10
Zolmitriptan 2.5mg tablets	6	£18.85
Zolmitriptan 2.5mg tablets	12	£37.70

Concessionary prices will be paid against the usual code, no additional endorsements are needed.

Please continue to notify CPNI of any pricing issues you are experiencing via our new Medicine Shortage Reporter .

Concessionary prices are also published on the CPNI website.

Kind regards

Dear Colleague

The first update of concessionary prices were granted yesterday for July 2023:

Drug	Pack Size	Concessionary Price
Amisulpride 100mg tablets	60	£18.15
Atorvastatin 10mg tablets	28	£1.65
Bisacodyl 5mg gastro-resistant tablets	60	£4.50
Brimonidine 0.2% eye drops	5	£3.44
Brinzolamide 10mg/ml eye drops	5	£4.68
Cyclizine 50mg/1ml solution for injection ampoules	5	£8.58
Isotretinoin 20mg capsules	30	£11.50
Ivabradine 2.5mg tablets	56	£46.20
Levetiracetam 100mg/ml oral solution sugar free	300	£10.41
Omeprazole 10mg gastro-resistant capsules	28	£1.70
Perindopril erbumine 2mg tablets	30	£1.27
Perindopril erbumine 4mg tablets	30	£1.75
Perindopril erbumine 8mg tablets	30	£1.92
Phenoxymethylpenicillin 125mg/5ml oral solution	100	£9.30
Phenoxymethylpenicillin 250mg/5ml oral solution	100	£9.69
Pizotifen 1.5mg tablets	28	£1.90
Prochlorperazine 3mg buccal tablets	50	£8.43
Prochlorperazine 5mg tablets	28	£1.98
Risperidone 500microgram tablets	20	£3.44
Spironolactone 25mg tablets	28	£1.97
Spironolactone 50mg tablets	28	£3.99
Tamsulosin 400microgram modified-release capsules	30	£1.65
Valaciclovir 500mg tablets	10	£20.59
Zolmitriptan 2.5mg orodispersible tablets sugar free	6	£20.69
Zopiclone 3.75mg tablets	28	£1.89
Zopiclone 7.5mg tablets	28	£1.75

Concessionary prices will be paid against the usual code, no additional endorsements are needed.

Please continue to notify CPNI of any pricing issues you are experiencing via our new Medicine Shortage Reporter.

Concessionary prices are also published on the CPNI website.

Kind regards

This update contains important information for community pharmacy teams.

CPNI ALERTS

• Community Pharmacy Vaccine Service (CPVS) Update 11 – End of Spring Programme 5 July 2023
• Adherence Returns 2022/23 4 July 2023
• Detectives ask NI businesses to be on their guard against phishing scammers 3 July 2023

DOH(NI) ALERTS

• SPPG Deprescribing Supplement 6 July 2023
• Generic Sitagliptin 6 July 2023
• GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Used in the Management of Type 2 Diabetes 4 July 2023
• Community Pharmacy Vaccine Service (CPVS): Update Eleven – End of COVID-19 Vaccine Spring Booster Programme 2023 4 July 2023
• MHRA Drug Safety Update and National Patient Safety Alert – Calcium Chloride, Calcium Gluconate: Potential Risk of Underdosing with Calcium Gluconate in Severe Hyperkalaemia 3 July 2023

BSO ALERTS

• Weekly Drug Alerts are available here.
  • Medicines Recall – Medac GmbH (t/a Medac Pharma LLP) – Dacarbazine Powder for Solution for Injection Vials 4 July 2023
  • Medicines Recall – Sildenafil 100mg Film-coated Tablets 3 July 2023
• Weekly Shortages Information is available here.
  • Testosterone (Tostran® ) 2% Gel 4 July 2023
• Serious Shortage Protocols are available here.

GLP-1 RA Shortages

Contractors may find the following resources provided by Diabetes UK to be helpful when responding to patient queries on the current shortage of GLP-1 RA products.

• FAQs – GLP-1 RA shortages
• Diabetes UK response to serious supply issues of drugs for people with type 2 diabetes

Pharmacy team(s) can keep updated via CPNI’s Contractor Calendar and Contractor Emails.

Or report medicine shortages, pricing and staffing issues via the CPNI’s Medicine Shortage Reporter and Situation Reporter.

Please bring this to the attention of your pharmacy team(s).

Kind regards

Dear Colleague

SPPG issued COVID-19 Spring Booster 2023 Update 11 on Tuesday 4th July 2023.  Earlier updates can be viewed here: COVID-19 Spring Booster 2023 Update 1 COVID-19 Spring Booster 2023 Update 2 COVID-19 Spring Booster 2023 Update 3 COVID-19 Spring Booster 2023 Update 4 COVID-19 Spring Booster 2023 Update 5 COVID-19 Spring Booster 2023 Update 6 COVID-19 Spring Booster 2023 Update 7 COVID-19 Spring Booster 2023 Update 9* COVID-19 Spring Booster 2023 Update 10 * Note: No update 8 was issued.

SUMMARY

Update 11 informs CPVS contractors:

• The COVID-19 vaccine programme commenced on 12 April 2023 and completed on 30 June 2023.
• Pharmacies vaccinated >15,000 individuals (care home residents, persons aged 75yrs+ and immunocompromised).
• Thanks are extended to all pharmacy teams involved in achieving this notable public health outcome.
• The programme is now complete and pharmacies should not order any further Covid vaccines for spring booster nor should any further Covid booster vaccines be administered.
• Movianto have been asked to remove the Covid vaccine Comirnaty from its pick list, for the moment.
• The Covid vaccination programme remains open (as per DoH correspondence), for Trust clinics to deliver “primary doses” only, to those individuals who have not received any primary dose vaccine.

ACTION

Contractors providing the CPVS are asked to:

• Review CPVS Update 11 and make relevant members of the pharmacy team aware that the spring booster programme has now ended.
• Ensure pharmacies have quarantined any residual stock of vaccines and await a direction from SPPG on any destruction.
• Direct eligible patients requiring primary vaccinations to the NI Direct website which includes details of the ongoing trust clinics.

Should you have further queries please contact CPNI offices or a member of the SPPG vaccination team.

Kind regards

Dear Contractor,

SPPG have advised us that a number of contractors have not yet returned: 1. The declaration form for April 2022-January 2023 (appendix 1) 2. The contract for February and March 2023 (appendix 3) 3. The monthly monitoring forms for February 2023 and March 2023 (appendix 4a or 4b)

Can we encourage you to return this documentation as soon as possible as SPPG may seek to recover adherence funding if the forms are not returned.  A separate monitoring form is required for February 2023 and March 2023.  The forms should be completed and returned even if it is a zero return.

Please contact your local SPPG office if you require any further information.

Kind regards,

Dear Contractor

Attached is a link to an article covered by Neighbourhood Retailer, in which Detectives from the Police Service’s Cyber Crime Centre underscore that Northern Ireland businesses should be on their guard against phishing emails here.

Phishing emails can target organisations of any size, type or location and are typically intended to prompt employees to click a link to a fake website which could, for example, result in the installation of malware.

CPNI has previously passed on details of such reported scamming (CU#230620A: Cyber Crime Alert) along with advice and guidance in respect of securing your computer systems.

Action

Contractors are asked to:

• Read the attached links and alert pharmacy teams to the phishing scams currently detected in Northern Ireland.

Further information can be accessed via the links on the Cyber Protect webpage HERE.

Kind regards

Mike

SENT ON BEHALF OF
PROF MIKE MAWHINNEY
Head of Regulatory Affairs