Cases of scarlet fever and strep A have surged earlier than usual in the season: last Thursday the UK Health Safety Agency said there had been 60 deaths from strep A infections across all age groups in England since mid-September, including 13 children. Many pharmacists have difficulty getting antibiotics such as penicillin and amoxicillin used to treat strep A and other infections. And parents have reported having to try multiple pharmacies to get prescription drugs for their sick children. Now pharmacists said the cost of many drugs has risen sharply, including antibiotics used to treat strep A. “In the current market, the cost of antibiotics has gone up almost 10-20 times what it was a few weeks ago,” said Sri Kanaparthy, who runs three pharmacies in County Durham and one in Barrow-in-Furness. The situation has caused concern because the NHS reimburses pharmacists for the medicines they buy according to a set tariff. “Regardless of the price we have to pay, the NHS will only pay us a set amount,” Kanaparthy said, noting that while a bottle of penicillin containing a dose of 125mg/5ml was usually £1.30 for a pharmacy to buy , some suppliers were now charging £14.95. Dr Leyla Hannbeck, head of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, said pharmacies were making huge losses on antibiotics. “The prices are absolutely crazy compared to how they were,” he said. “A packet of amoxicillin, instead of being £2, we buy [it] for £15 and we’ll basically lose around £13 because you’re only getting reimbursed for £2. Hannbeck said the price increases could be reported to the government so it could consider issuing a price concession, but the process could take a long time. “Meanwhile, pharmacies continue to lose money – money they don’t really have.” He said that while increased costs for products such as shampoo could be passed on to the consumer, this was not the case for medicines, as it could mean people could not afford them. Suraj Shah, director of medicines pricing and reimbursement at the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Commission (PSNC), said the impact of Brexit, the war in Ukraine, the Covid pandemic, rising inflation, high demand and suppressed drug duty prices had contributed to compensation the prices of many drugs are not in line with the market prices. “For antibiotics, it’s the sudden surge in demand that has contributed to the price increase,” he said, adding that the demand was driven by the lowering of the threshold for prescribing antibiotics to children with symptoms associated with strep A. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. “There is a question about whether manufacturers and wholesalers are profiting from Strep A,” he said, calling on the Competition and Markets Authority or the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to investigate. Fin McCaul, owner of an independent community pharmacy in Prestwich, Manchester, and a PSNC committee, said he was struggling to get some amoxicillin products and liquid penicillin and the cost was also a concern. “Most suppliers are now over the counter so I have to pay more than I would normally pay for it. And in a minute [DHSC] he won’t confirm what we’ll be renumbering to,” he said. On Monday, the DHSC issued a drug supply alert for antibiotics to treat strep A. “Supplies of antibiotics to treat group A strep have increased in demand and may be temporarily limited at some wholesalers and pharmacies.” he said. “Supplies are available with manufacturers and deliveries to wholesalers and pharmacies are being expedited and expected in the coming days.” A DHSC spokesman said: “We rely on competition to drive down the prices of generic medicines, which generally results in lower prices for the NHS – this means prices can fluctuate, but no company should use this as an opportunity to to take advantage of the NHS. “When companies are found to be abusing their dominant position by charging excessive and unfair prices, the Competition and Markets Authority can take action against companies and individuals who engage in anti-competitive behaviour.”
