Medication warning as Britons ‘unnecessarily’ pay more for same medicine
Martin Lewis offers advice on NHS prescriptions
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Medication can be a necessity and in some cases provide a relief for individuals. Sometimes it will need to be prescribed, while in other cases, individuals can secure it over the counter.
Prescription charges are currently £9.35 per item in England for those who are not exempt, while in other parts of the UK prescriptions are free.
However, when it comes to over the counter medicine, people could be paying more than is necessary.
The latest warning comes from savings platform Raisin UK, which has analysed the prices of key and popular medications.
Its research found Britons are paying over the odds for the exact same medicine.
Prescription charges are currently £9.35 per item in England for those who are not exempt, while in other parts of the UK prescriptions are free.
However, when it comes to over the counter medicine, people could be paying more than is necessary.
The latest warning comes from savings platform Raisin UK, which has analysed the prices of key and popular medications.
Its research found Britons are paying over the odds for the exact same medicine.
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For example, when comparing 500mg paracetamol tablets, Raisin discovered one of the key numbers was PL 12063/0072.
It was linked to paracetamol sold by Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Wilko, Boots, Superdrug and Sainsbury’s.
However, despite essentially being the same, there was a price differentiation.
While Tesco, Morrisons and Asda all stocked theirs at 29 pence, Boots and Superdrug sold theirs at 49p, and Sainsbury’s at 50p.
The PL code for Panadol, the branded name, is slightly different. It was stocked at approximately £1.
The trend continued for Long Lasting Ibuprofen, with Galprofen selling their eight pack at £1 in B&M.
However, the price jumped to £2 in the retailers Morrisons and Waitrose, despite the PL code being the same as the Galprofen.
Martin Lewis, the founder of Money Saving Expert, has previously shared the warning about paying too much for medications.
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He previously told ITV’s This Morning: “If they have an identical PL code which is on the back of the packet, they are the same tablet.
“Not the same active ingredient, the same tablet!
“So many big pharmaceutical companies will spend millions promoting ‘go with the name you know’.
“But that’s just baloney in most cases. This happens all over the place.”
As a result, Britons may wish to reevaluate their purchasing habits in order to cut medicinal costs.
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