The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has advised pharmacies to refer a generically written prescription for Lithium carbonate 400mg modified release tablets back to the prescriber before dispensing the branded drug Camcolit to the patient.
As the reimbursement for the generic prescription for the tablet is currently based on the reference product Priadel, with a list price of £4.02 based on September 2020 Drug Tariff, contractors would only receive this amount instead of the Camcolit brand dm+d list price of £48.18 for a pack of 100 tablets.
Priadel 200mg and 400mg modified-release tablets are being discontinued in the UK. While Camcolit is another option for 400mg tablets, there is no alternative brand is available for 200mg tablets.
PSNC added that pharmacy teams might see prescriptions specifying the brand of lithium required as patients must be maintained on the same brand to ensure consistent serum lithium level.
