Paracetamol and ibuprofen (FOI)

​Request  

A

I would like to know how many prescriptions in the last 12 months have been written by Jersey Health for paracetamol?

B

The average cost of a paracetamol prescription?

C

How many prescriptions in the last 12 months have been written by Jersey Health for ibuprofen?

D

The average cost of an ibuprofen prescription?

E

How much a general box of paracetamol costs?

Clarification

• please clarify what you mean by Jersey Health?

I mean both General Practitioners and hospital prescriptions combined.

• please clarify what you mean by "written". Is it how many prescriptions are written or dispensed?

I mean dispensed.

Response

A to E

Hospital prescribed paracetamol and ibuprofen

The General Hospital cannot identify the number of individual prescription items, as paracetamol and ibuprofen are widely used for inpatients and held as stock on wards and departments. 

This means that these medicines are dispensed to individuals in their individual doses, rather than boxes of medicines being issued to individuals.  

The table below therefore sets out the total number of packs used:

The cost price of drugs obtained by the hospital is exempt commercially sensitive information under Article 33.

In some cases, the hospital is also bound contractually by suppliers through confidentiality agreements and so an Article 26 exemption applies. 

Therefore, only the total cost of both drugs has been provided. 

The total cost of all the paracetamol and ibuprofen preparations used in the last 12 months is £23,287. 

GP prescribed paracetamol and ibuprofen:

• 33,345 States prescriptions were dispensed in the community for all forms of paracetamol. The average cost is £4 per prescription based on a total drug cost of £133,306 for all prescriptions for paracetamol

• 12,799 States prescriptions were dispensed in the community for all forms of ibuprofen. The average cost is £3.07 per prescription based on a total drug cost of £39,257 for all prescriptions for ibuprofen

Community pharmacies are reimbursed at the same price as pharmacies in England and Wales, and this price varies from month to month. 

For a box of 100 paracetamol 500mg tablets, the reimbursement price in July 2016 was £2.31.

Exemptions Applied

Article 26 – Information supplied in confidence

Information is absolutely exempt information if:

(a) it was obtained by the scheduled public authority from another person (including another public authority); and

(b) the disclosure of the information to the public by the scheduled public authority holding it would constitute a breach of confidence actionable by that or any other person.

Article 33 – Commercial Interests

Information is qualified exempt information if:

(a) it constitutes a trade secret; or

(b) its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of a person (including the scheduled public authority holding the information).