PCA(P)(2025)08 - Paxlovid Endorsing Guidance
Published: 01/05/25
Introduction
The NHS circular PCA(P)(2025)08 informs NHS Boards and community pharmacy contractors of new arrangements in place for the procurement and reimbursement of Paxlovid® (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir).
Background
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the UK Government procured and purchased Covid-19 antivirals to protect people who were at the highest risk of becoming seriously ill. As pandemic arrangements have ended, the UK Government is no longer procuring further supplies of antivirals. This means that once existing centrally-procured pandemic stockpiles exhaust or expire, Covid-19 antivirals will need to be ordered by community pharmacy teams in the usual way, and they will no longer be available free of charge.
Detail
All UK Government stock of Paxlovid® (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir) that has been provided free of charge to Health Boards will expire on 31 May 2025. UK Government stock will continue to be available to access free of charge from AAH until Friday 23 May.
To minimise waste, the free of charge short-dated UK Government stock should be dispensed where practicable during May. It is a 5-day treatment course, therefore the last date that a complete pack of the UK Government stock can be dispensed is Monday 26 May. Care should be taken to ensure that this medicine is not dispensed after the expiry date and following expiry, any residual stock held should be disposed of locally.
Pfizer has confirmed that commercial stock of Paxlovid® will be available to purchase from Alliance Healthcare from 1 May onwards. The list price of the product is £829.00 per pack.
To ensure correct reimbursement, during May 2025, pharmacy contractors MUST endorse reimbursement claims for Paxlovid® (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir) with the price paid if commercial stock has been sourced to fulfil the prescription. Both the electronic and the paper prescription MUST be endorsed with a SPE endorsement, with the cost being claimed written in pence e.g. £829.00 to be written as 82900.
If the prescription is not endorsed, it will be assumed that UK Government stock that was provided free of charge to the pharmacy has been used to dispense the prescription.
From June 2025 onwards, the list price will be used to calculate reimbursement of all prescriptions submitted for reimbursement.
If, post-payment, a contractor believes they have been incorrectly reimbursed for a Covid-19 antiviral submitted claim, they should contact nss.psdhelp@nhs.scot providing the following details: form type, serial No., barcode and what item was dispensed.
