APSM

APSM member companies dedicate their resource and expertise to this very specialist area of medicines manufacture. They are an essential partner to pharmacists and can streamline the process from assessing the formulation, through quality manufacture to timely delivery.    Most pharmacists are only called upon to dispense a handful of specials prescriptions each month.    A specials manufacturer can help pharmacists to navigate the complexities of supply and avoid issues with reimbursement.  The following summarises the ways in which APSM member processes align with RPS guidelines 1 1. ESTABLISH THE OPTIMAL TREATMENT FOR THE PATIENT  “All treatment options are evaluated. Prescribers and pharmacists work together to ensure that Specials are only supplied when the patient has a special clinical need that cannot be met by an available licensed medicine (this special clinical need does not include reasons of cost, convenience or operational need’...

What to look for in a Specials Manufacturer For anyone looking for a Specials supplier, this article in Independent Community Pharmacist gives some useful advice.  Sourcing Specials Or you can check out the information on our APSM website which lists the quality criteria required of holders of an MHRA specials manufacturing licence.  It also includes some of the additional services provided by APSM member companies. APSM website

The Specials Market in primary care was just over £ 80.5 million for the 12 month period Oct 15 - Sep 16.  Although the market continues to decline year-on-year, it is now stabilising following a period of readjustment in the wake of the Specials Tariff in November 2011.  During this time the mean cost per item has reduced from £180 per item before the tariff in Nov 2011, to an average £116 for the same 12 month period to Sep 2016. Whilst this represents value for money to the NHS, at the same time the high standards of quality involved in Specials manufacture have needed to be maintained.  According to the Association of Pharmaceutical Specials Manufacturers, APSM, members report continued investment in infrastructure and quality processes to meet the increasing regulatory demands required by the sector. To reflect the increased complexity of the market, l ast year (2016), the Association of Pharmaceutical Specials Manufacturers, APSM, decided to broaden its mem...

The Association of Pharmaceutical Specials Manufacturers, APSM, has broadened its membership criteria to include importers as well as virtual Specials manufacturing organisations who own the rights to, and act as the first supplier of, a Specials medicine in the UK. Originally founded to represent the interests of holders of a Specials Manufacturing Licence, the APSM has an important role liaising with the DH and key policy makers as well as inputting into decisions around new legislation and Specials guidance. The decision to broaden membership to the wider supply chain reflects the changing shape of the Specials market, particularly over the last 5 years following the introduction of the Specials Tariff alongside a developing regulatory framework and professional guidance around Specials.  Influencing and responding to issues in this changing market has also become a more important role for the APSM. APSM Chair, Sharon Griffiths, said, “The decisions and actions we take n...

The APSM has launched our new website which is the definitive source of information about Specials in the UK.  In addition to updated content about the role of Specials in the patient journey, there is detailed information about the regulatory framework for prescribing Specials and up-to-date market stats about the cost of Specials in the UK. Designed for anyone involved in prescribing or dispensing Specials, the website contains lots of useful tools to support clinical understanding and decisions around the use of unlicensed medicines. There are also links to useful resources such as professional guidance and the Drug Tariff. Says the APSM, the website is designed to promote the important role of Specials Manufacturers in helping to meet this important area of patient clinical need with high quality advice and product information. WWW.APSM-UK.COM

An article published today (8 December 2015)  in the Daily Mail ‘High Street Chemists who charge the NHS £300 for skin creams that should cost £12’, contains a number of significant inaccuracies about the Specials market and APSM activities.     Here follows the APSM response to the facts presented within the article. DAILY MAIL QUOTE:  The practice has been exposed by the BAD which says up to £400m a year of taxpayers’ money is being wasted on paying too much for these treatments.  Even 2% salicylic acid cream which can be effective for these conditions costs the NHS £75m per year. APSM Response:  Dermatology Specials are a small proportion of Specials spend in primary care – approximately £1m per year. The total spend on Specials in England in 2014 was £89.5million in primary care.  A very small percentage of this is for dermatology specials through community pharmacy.    Only a small number of Dermatology products a...

The APSM, Association of Pharmaceutical Specials Manufacturers, is reminding pharmacists of the importance of 24 hour turnaround for bespoke Specials prescriptions.  All APSM members sign up to a commitment of timely delivery to patients 1 and for all members that now means next day delivery as standard.     Members report that between 95-99% of orders are despatched the same day of receipt for delivery the following. Said, APSM Chair Sharon Griffith, “What may have started as an effort to offer competitive advantage – we’re happy to say is now the norm amongst APSM members which is good news for patients.   Patients who are prescribed Specials often have a specific and urgent clinical need - they should not have to wait for this medicine just because it isn’t a licensed or off the shelf preparation.” Although Specials manufacturers are geared towards bespoke manufacture it can still present a challenge.  With more than 20,000 potential preparations o...

There are positive signs that the balance between cost and quality is being restored in the Specials market – certainly according to the latest annual Specials Survey, conducted by the APSM. For the first time since the survey began in 2012, fewer pharmacists are referring to CCGs as the first source of advice about dispensing Specials (34% compared with 52.5% in 2013), turning instead to RPS Guidelines (47.5%) or the GP (47%).  However, there is still evidence of pressure to reduce Specials spend with almost two thirds of pharmacists stating that they are monitoring spend on Specials, or that they are being asked by their CCGs to reduce or monitor Specials dispensing.   The APSM Survey also points to the fact that pharmacists have a good understanding of Specials (over 75 % feel they have enough information or experience compared with 57% in 2013) and have a positive view of the role of Specials, with 80% agreeing that they are essential to meet the special clinica...

N EW White Paper – How Specials can deliver value to the NHS without compromising patient safety. The APSM, Association of Pharmaceutical Specials Manufacturers, has launched a White Paper which for the first time attempts to attribute an economic value to the provision of unlicensed medicines within the NHS.  The paper takes a series of typical patient scenarios where a Special is indicated and then identifies the potential cost to the NHS of attempting to meet patient need with a lower cost, or higher risk alternative.  In all of these cases this additional cost has exceeded that of providing a special and sourcing it according to established guidance. The White Paper was commissioned in the light of growing concern about cost pressures leading to higher risk practice in the supply chain. Striking the balance between cost and quality Specials account for approximately 1% of prescription costs and in recent years, as part of overall pressure on NHS budgets, the c...