Droxidopa (Northera) and Octreotide Cost UK

[tenef246]

I wondered if anyone who is being prescribed these medications in the UK would be able to give me a rough idea of the cost? Thank You!

[dysautonomomenom]

I'm in the UK and not currently prescribed octreotide, but I'm hoping to start it after my next gastro appointment.

I use the BNF website to try and get a rough idea of costs. The drug tariff price for the cheapest form of the lowest dose of octreotide is £14.87 for 5 doses. At 3 doses a day that's £250 for a 28 day supply. (Source)

The drug tariff price is how much the NHS would reimburse a pharmacy for an NHS prescription, so I view this number as a price floor rather than a realistic estimate. In my experience private prescriptions often have a substantial markup over NHS tariff prices, and there are big variations between different pharmacies and brands. I'm expecting it would come out somewhere in the region of £300–500 a month.

Droxidopa isn't a licenced medication in the UK, so I think a pharmacy would have to import it for you, and likely won't be cheap.

[tenef246]

thank you this is so helpful !!

[ramakentesh]

I read some of the review articles from POTS physicians in the UK and they are pretty strange at times. Id actually doubt a physician in the UK would prescribe either of these meds but the later is super expensive.

Phenylephrine - the alpha 1 agonist was found to activate the alpha 1 receptor subtype (i think maybe Alpha 1b) which was the most common in the splanchnic/stomach venous reservoir however that area also relies on postganglionic alpha 2s which are pressor.