Q. I have an electronic prescription for Cerazette oral contraceptive. The dose suggests that it is not being used for contraception but as an off license treatment for fibroids. As the prescription is not for contraceptive purposes should I charge the patient?  

A. Cerazette is listed in part XVI “List of contraceptive Drugs to be dispensed free of charge” in the April Drug Tariff. The pricing authority have confirmed that there would be no levy for any item within this list even where the item is prescribed for none contraceptive purposes.

No prescriber endorsement is required as these items are automatically exempt from charges.

Prescriptions for items that have licensed indications other than contraception and are not included in this list, such as co-cyprindiol, would warrant an NHS charge unless the prescriber annotates the prescription to indicate that the product has been prescribed for contraceptive purposes. The electronic prescription would not be considered exempt without this endorsement and a prescription charge will be deducted from your monthly payment

For all EPS prescriptions for a contraceptive product, a dispensing token must be signed by the patient and submitted to the pricing authority as a declaration of exemption.

Tariff Tip written by Sue Swift, UK Drug Tariff and Information Technician