Pharmacy staff are advised to check the NHSBSA website for the updated list of HRT medicine covered by the HRT PPC
Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has notified pharmacy teams that starting 1 August 2024, three Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) medicines will be discontinued and will no longer be covered under the NHS HRT Prescription Prepayment Certificate (HRT PPC) scheme.
These are Bedol® 2mg tablets, Climanor® 5mg tablets and Clinorette® tablets.
Since Climanor® 5mg tablets have been discontinued, Medroxyprogesterone 5mg tablets will also be removed from the HRT PPC list, as this generic product is no longer available as a licensed HRT medicine.
The CPE also noted that Provera® 5mg tablets, being an unlicensed HRT medicine, are not covered by the HRT PPC.
Pharmacy staff are advised to check the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) website for the most current list of HRT medicines covered by the HRT PPC.
The CPE has updated its HRT PPC medicines list to reflect these changes, which will also be updated in Part XVI of the August 2024 Drug Tariff.
The HRT medicines list has been updated following consultation with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), NHSBSA and the NHS England Menopause Clinical Reference Group.
The list is regularly revised to include new HRT medicines licensed for menopause treatment in the UK or to remove those that are discontinued.
For any HRT medicines meeting the criteria that are missing from the list, pharmacy teams can contact dhsc.publicenquiries@dhsc.gov.uk.
In February 2023, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) introduced the HRT prescription prepayment certificate (HRT PPC) to provide patients in England access to cheaper Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) for menopause.
Starting 1 April 2023, patients who do not qualify for exemption from NHS prescription charges could purchase an annual HRT PPC for the cost of two single prescription charges.
HRT PPCs only cover HRT medicines that are also licensed for the treatment of menopause in the UK.
