National HRT Shortage: The Independent Pharmacy's Response To Evorel Conti Patches Price Change

In response to the Mail Online’s investigation into nationwide HRT shortage, The Independent Pharmacy has issued a full response:

“Stock prices from wholesalers for HRT treatment Evorel Conti patches increased an average of £7 per month as the stock shortages became a nationwide issue towards the end of 2019.

“While The Independent Pharmacy held off for as long as possible, the supply shortage of Evorel Conti patches forced us to increase the private charges of this treatment from £69 to £90 for a three-month supply.

“However, The Independent Pharmacy is able to provide HRT treatments on the NHS if patients have a valid NHS prescription and this would be subject to normal NHS prescription charges.

“During the period of stock shortages, The Independent Pharmacy dispensed hundreds of HRT treatments on NHS prescriptions at a significant loss as they were sourced from wholesalers at a higher price than the NHS was able to reimburse.

“The national supply shortage of Evorel Conti Patches meant that the private charges increased in line with the wholesale costs of the medicine. Please note that the cost of supplying the medicine privately includes the consultation with a qualified healthcare professional, a private prescription and dispensing of the medicine.

“During the stock shortages, the prices we charge on HRT products for private patients have increased proportionally with wholesale stock prices despite being one of the few pharmacies with a limited supply remaining, we have made a significant loss on continuing to provide HRT treatments to women on the NHS.”

About The Independent Pharmacy

At The Independent Pharmacy, we want to ensure we are offering the highest standards of care and the highest quality treatment to our patients. To ensure this, we comply with the highest possible standards in the regulation of online pharmacy in the UK, including complying with the regulatory bodies MHRA, CQC, GMC and GPhC.

Click here to read more about the public health bodies we comply with and who regulate our service.

If you are looking to buy HRT treatment privately online, make sure you are using a regulated, licensed online pharmacy. For more information on how to spot a genuine online pharmacy, click here.