Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Competition and Markets Authority's finding of excessive and unfair pricing in the supply of liothyronine tablets in the UK; and what progress they have made in discussions with manufacturers to reduce the cost of liothyronine.

There has been no assessment made of the Competition and Markets Authority’s findings, but no company should exploit the National Health Service. Anti-competitive behaviour, including excessive pricing, is a matter for the Competition and Markets Authority.

There have been no discussions with the manufacturers of Liothyronine regarding the cost of the product because the Government’s policy on generic medicines is to allow suppliers freedom of pricing for their products, relying on competition between suppliers and efficient purchasing by community pharmacies to deliver value for money for the NHS. This also means that companies can increase their prices when supply is low, or demand is high.

Several marketing authorisations for different suppliers have been granted for generic liothyronine since 2016, the NHS reimbursement price in primary care has reduced, and the price remains firmly below its peak from 2018.