Dislike splitting tablets? Smaller doses now available!

Following years of hard work with Professor Karim Meeran, Endocrinologist at Imperial College, London, Genesis Pharmaceuticals have launched new doses of Hydrocortisone instant release tablets, including lower strengths 2.5mg and 5mg. This fantastic development removes the step of breaking tablets, giving people with Addison's disease and adrenal insufficiency a single tablet with the dose they require, making dosing in day-to-day life easier and more accurate.

From Genesis Pharmaceuticals, the following doses are available immediately and are listed with the national wholesalers:

Hydrocortisone tablets 2.5 mg (prescription code: 1250323)
Hydrocortisone tablets 5 mg (prescription code: 1248954)
Hydrocortisone tablets 15 mg (prescription code: 1250331)

There are many benefits to the range of doses now available but the day-to-day impact of simply not having to go through the fiddly step of breaking pills (even with the advantage of a pill cutter) and then wondering how accurate the split dose you’ve created is, will have a significant positive impact on our community. Even more so for our members with mobility issues or for those who care for people with steroid dependency.

It is now possible to meet more of the common dosage regimens so many of us are on and we will no longer need to halve or quarter tablets.

Dr David Solomon, Director of Genesis Pharmaceuticals Ltd comments:

“We are delighted to have launched the new strengths of Hydrocortisone and hope that it will make patients’ lives easier and ensure they receive the exact dose they need reliably every day.”

This has also made hydrocortisone more cheaply available, as well as for the first time tablets at the 2.5mg and 5mg doses.

Many of you may remember our article with Professor Meeran in our Winter 2021 magazine and in our News article, explaining the “price gouging” that is happening with hydrocortisone and asking you to join us at the ADSHG, in supporting the petition to stop this. ‘Price gouging’ describes how pharmaceutical companies exploit the lack of competition in the market to raise the price of medication, despite them being able to be made very cheaply, an unethical practice causing unnecessary price hikes for the NHS. In response to our request the petition received 10,984 signatures as Professor Meeran comments more on below. Thank you so much to everyone who signed the petition to make this happen!

Therefore, due to Professor Meeran’s work with Genesis Pharmaceuticals in making these new doses of hydrocortisone available at an appropriate price, the other pharmaceutical companies that make hydrocortisone are reducing their prices back to sensible levels as they follow the lead of Professor Meeran and Genesis Pharmaceuticals due to now having market competition.

Professor Karim Meeran, Endocrinologist at Imperial College, London, comments:

“I am very grateful to the members of the ADSHG for supporting the petition, which went over 10,000, and obtained the beginning of a Government response. There still is some way to go with this, but the price of hydrocortisone is now back down from over £150 per month to about £3 per month, so well done all.”

No longer having to break up tablets will be good news for many people with adrenal insufficiency, making it easier for us to get the dose we need accurately. So if you believe these new doses of hydrocortisone tablets would be helpful for you, make your GP aware so you can get the doses added to your repeat prescription. If you mention the price comparisons, they will be thrilled!

Thank you Dr David Solomon and Professor Karim Meeran for speaking with the ADSHG.

	To hear more about Professor Karim Meeran's work, please visit the Imperial website or Twitter.
	Please visit www.genesis-pharma.com for more information.
	Further information on all the hydrocortisone tablets available can also be found on the NICE website.

This article was first published in the Summer 2022 edition of the ADSHG magazine.

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