Boots owner charges NHS £1,500 for a SINGLE £2 pot of moisturiser: Walgreens demands extortionate bill for a 'specially mixed skin cream' prescribed regularly around the UK

  • Walgreens Boots Alliance billed health bosses £1,579 for skin ointment
  • 500ml tub is regularly prescribed across Britain for just £1.73, probe finds
  • BCM Specials sold the 'specially mixed skin cream' to the NHS in 2016
  • Drug is among 'specials' tailor-made for patients with skin conditions

By MARK DUELL, SENIOR REPORTER

Published: | Updated:

The NHS has been charged more than £1,500 for a single pot of moisturiser which were sold elsewhere for less than £2, it was revealed today.

The owner of high street chain Boots billed health bosses £1,579 for a 500ml tub of skin ointment which is regularly prescribed across Britain for just £1.73.

BCM Specials, which was owned at the time by Boots's parent firm Walgreens Boots Alliance, sold the 'specially mixed skin cream' to the NHS in 2016.

The NHSwas charged more than £1,500 for moisturiser sold for £2 elsewhere (file picture)

The NHSwas charged more than £1,500 for moisturiser sold for £2 elsewhere (file picture)

The drug is among 'specials' which are tailor-made for patients with conditions such as eczema or those who need drugs in liquid form rather than tablets.

The prices of many specials are set by the suppliers because they are unregulated, according to an investigation in The Times by Paul Morgan-Bentley and Billy Kenber.

Because the specials are often required at short notice, delivery costs can hugely vary - and 300,000 prescriptions of the drugs a year costs the NHS £50 million.

Deirdre Buckley, from the British Association of Dermatologists, told the Times: 'For many dermatology specials the ingredients aren't expensive.

'It's inexplicable why they cost so much. It's not right. We have a duty to conserve the resources of the taxpayer so that the money is used to actually care for patients.' 

The owner of high street chain Boots (file picture) billed health bosses £1,579 for a 500ml tub

The owner of high street chain Boots (file picture) billed health bosses £1,579 for a 500ml tub

Pharmacist Claire Parker added: 'Even if these mixtures cost £30 that would be overcharging. Specials are being exploited as a loophole.' 

Revealed: Huge gap in prices for special drugs ordered by the NHS

The Times has analysed a number of specials bought by the NHS for extortionate prices compared to the lowest cost they have paid for the same product, including the following:

  • Moisturiser: 500ml mixture of liquid paraffin and emulsifying ointment for £1,579 instead of £1.73
  • Steroid cream: Beclometasone dipropionate in white soft paraffin 0.0025% for skin issues for £1,322.52 (400g) instead of 95p (200g)
  • Eye drops: Preservative free for £45.47 instead of 66p for more than double the amount
  • Coconut Oil: 100ml mixture of 75% oil and emulsifying ointment for £657.60 instead of £1.04 

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But Walgreens Boots Alliance 'categorically' denied overcharging and believes the NHS specials categories cannot be comparing exactly the same products.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: 'It is completely unacceptable for any company to be exploiting our NHS and patients. 

'We have changed the law so that from April pharmacies and suppliers will be under greater scrutiny. If there is evidence of collusion between pharmacies and suppliers then action will be taken to recoup funds back to the NHS.'

The Mail has previously told how the NHS is paying many times over the odds for creams prescribed for patients with severe skin conditions by their doctors.

The NHS is paying up to 17 times more than it should cost in some cases when patients have to get GP prescriptions filled at high street chemists.

The British Association of Dermatologists has previously said up to £400million a year of taxpayers' money is being wasted on paying too much for skin treatments.

Boots owner 'categorically' denies overcharging NHS for special drugs

Walgreens Boots Alliance has 'categorically' denied that it has overcharged the NHS, saying it complies with all NHS regulations and legal requirements.

Here is the full statement from a spokesman, who said: 'We categorically deny any allegations of overcharging the NHS.

'As a pharmacy-led organisation, Walgreens Boots Alliance and all its UK-based businesses fully comply with all NHS and Department of Health regulations and follow all applicable legal requirements in order to supply healthcare products and services, including specials. In addition, companies within Walgreens Boots Alliance have strict arm’s length agreements with each other to supply any products and services.

'Specials are unique, unlicensed prescription items ordered at short notice; they are bespoke and made to address individual patient needs at the request of medical professionals, like GPs and hospital consultants. Specials are therefore made by highly trained technicians in dedicated laboratories in the UK, that source ingredients, produce and quality-check often on the same day, and as a single item. This process incurs high overheads, reflected in the final cost, which is set in line with the sector to reflect the bespoke nature of the products.

'Boots UK as a pharmacy chain does not make any profit on specials; it fulfils the prescriptions by ordering and dispensing specials to patients as required. The medical decision to request a specials prescription rests with GPs.

'Walgreens Boots Alliance through all its business always seeks to provide excellent care and advice, delivering essential medicines at speed to ensure they reach patients in a timely manner. We are proud to serve our communities across the UK and to be part of the country’s healthcare service.' 

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