Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Liothyronine is acquired by the NHS at the best possible price.

Liothyronine is marketed as a generic medicine. For generic medicines, we rely on competition to keep prices down. This works well for the most part, as evidence shows we have amongst the lowest prices in Europe for generic medicines. The system also means we have a relatively resilient supply, as flexibility on pricing allows manufacturers to increase prices where supply on a particular drug is reduced or demand increases, supporting continuity of supply for patients in the United Kingdom.

Between 2009 and 2017, there was only one supplier of liothyronine, and they were charging a price considered to be excessive and unfair by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Following an investigation which concluded in July 2021, the CMA decided to issue fines totalling £101.4 million against the three undertakings which controlled the supply during this time.

That decision is currently under appeal before the Court of Appeal, having previously been upheld by the Competition Appeal Tribunal in August 2023. Since 2016, several marketing authorisations have been granted to other suppliers for liothyronine, and its price to the National Health Service has been decreasing as a result of direct competition in the market. The Department has no price comparison information on liothyronine.