Community Pharmacy England (CPE) - News updates
MHRA Class 4 Medicines Defect Notification: Apixaban 2.5mg and 5mg tablets (Sandoz Limited)
MHRA Class 4 Medicines Defect Notification: Apixaban 2.5mg and 5mg tablets (Sandoz Limited) Drug alert number: EL(26)A/17 Date issued: 26 March 2026 Sandoz Ltd. have informed the MHRA that the Patient Information Leaflet included in specified batches of Apixaban does not contain up‑to‑date information. DMRC reference number: DMRC-38614094 Marketing Authorisation Holder: Sandoz Limited Medicine Details Product [...] The post MHRA Class 4 Medicines Defect Notification: Apixaban 2.5mg and 5mg tablets (Sandoz Limited) appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.
Free supply extended to Ciprofloxacin for meningococcal outbreak
NHS England has issued an operational briefing via its regions to all pharmacies and general practices providing an update on the Meningococcal disease outbreak in Kent and announcing the waiving of NHS prescription charges for prophylactic oral Ciprofloxacin prescriptions issued to patients in relation to the outbreak. Prescribers in general practices have been asked to [...] The post Free supply extended to Ciprofloxacin for meningococcal outbreak appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.
MHRA Class 4 Medicines Defect Notification: Vesomni 6 mg/0.4 mg modified release tablets (Quadrant Pharmaceuticals Limited)
MHRA Class 4 Medicines Defect Notification: Vesomni 6 mg/0.4 mg modified release tablets (Quadrant Pharmaceuticals Limited) Drug alert number: EL(26)A/16 Date issued: 26 March 2026 Quadrant Pharmaceuticals Limited have informed the MHRA that their parallel imported packs of Vesomni 6 mg/0.4 mg modified release tablets have been printed with the incorrect barcode/GTIN on the carton. DMRC [...] The post MHRA Class 4 Medicines Defect Notification: Vesomni 6 mg/0.4 mg modified release tablets (Quadrant Pharmaceuticals Limited) appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.
Reminder – Discontinuation of FreeStyle® Libre 3 Sensor
Pharmacy teams are reminded that FreeStyle® Libre 3 Sensor (Abbott Laboratories Ltd) has been discontinued and will be deleted from Part IX of the April 2026 Drug Tariff. Any NHS prescriptions for the FreeStyle® Libre 3 Sensor dispensed from 1 April 2026 will be disallowed by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). Patients currently using the [...] The post Reminder – Discontinuation of FreeStyle® Libre 3 Sensor appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.
Racist, hostile, verbal and physical abuse of pharmacy teams now a regular occurrence
Regular occurrences of abuse against community pharmacy teams are making their working life increasingly difficult, and at times dangerous, new research from Community Pharmacy England has demonstrated. A recent survey of more than 3,000 pharmacy premises found that: More than half (55%) of pharmacies had experienced verbal abuse in the preceding six months, with three-quarters [...] The post Racist, hostile, verbal and physical abuse of pharmacy teams now a regular occurrence appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.
PQS: 31st March deadline approaches
Pharmacy owners have until the end of Tuesday 31st March 2026 to have their evidence to demonstrate meeting the 2025/26 Pharmacy Quality Scheme (PQS) domains that they have claimed for. Pharmacy owners were required to complete a PQS declaration between 9am on 2nd February 2026 and 11.59pm on 27th February 2026. However, pharmacy owners have [...] The post PQS: 31st March deadline approaches appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.
March 2026 Price Concessions 2nd Update
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has today (24/03/2026) confirmed the following list of price concessions for March 2026: Drug Pack size Price concession Adapalene 0.1% cream 45 £18.26 Adapalene 0.1% gel 45 £18.26 Alfuzosin 2.5mg tablets 60 £6.67 Amlodipine 2.5mg tablets 28 £3.88 Aripiprazole 15mg tablets 28 £1.02 Aspirin 75mg dispersible tablets 28 [...] The post March 2026 Price Concessions 2nd Update appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.
Call for swift movement on flexibilities and reimbursement changes to tackle supply issues
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) – supported by Community Pharmacy England, charities and patient groups – is calling on the Government to make headway in introducing community pharmacist flexibilities and addressing reimbursement issues that can delay access to medicines. Medicines Shortages: One Year On assesses progress on supply issues since the launch of the RPS’s [...] The post Call for swift movement on flexibilities and reimbursement changes to tackle supply issues appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.
MHRA Class 2 Medicines Recall: Hibiwash® 500ml (Regent Medical Limited / Mölnlycke Health Care)
MHRA Class 2 Medicines Recall: Hibiwash® 500ml (Regent Medical Limited / Mölnlycke Health Care) Drug alert number: EL(26)A/15 Date issued: 23 March 2026 Mölnlycke Health Care are recalling specific batches of Hibiwash® due to microbial contamination at the manufacturing facility, following routine weekly microbiological monitoring. DMRC reference number: DMRC-38814497 Company name:Regent Medical Limited / Mölnlycke Health [...] The post MHRA Class 2 Medicines Recall: Hibiwash® 500ml (Regent Medical Limited / Mölnlycke Health Care) appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.
CPE Comms: Are you getting what you need from us?
A short survey has opened to hear what pharmacy owners think of Community Pharmacy England’s communications and how they could be improved. As we approach three years on from our rebrand to Community Pharmacy England, we’re taking a fresh look at how we communicate and engage with you. Your insight is vital to helping us [...] The post CPE Comms: Are you getting what you need from us? appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.