Medicines Data and the dm+d

Suppliers of medicinal products and medical devices have a vital role to play in maintaining the dictionary of medicines and devices (dm+d). The dm+d is the recognised NHS standard (SCC10052) for identifying and communicating medicinal product and medical device information used in patient care across the healthcare system.

You can submit requests to add and update your medicinal product portfolio and information by email to: pippa@nhsbsa.nhs.uk

Listing products on the dm+d is the only way for pharmaceutical suppliers and manufacturers to make sure they appear on clinical systems in primary and secondary care, so that they can be prescribed and dispensed to patients.

Pharmaceutical suppliers and manufacturers must provide accurate and timely product information and updates. It’s best practice to submit and update your data at least 10 working days before their effective date, launch date, or date of change.

How we manage medicines data

The NHSBSA Medicines Data team are responsible for updating and maintaining the dm+d. This includes product and price information from manufacturers and suppliers, and Drug Tariff entries for medicinal products and medical devices.

We are not able to delete a submission after it has been published.

We extract dm+d data every Thursday and publish this data on the following Monday. If your submission is incorrect, contact us as soon as possible.

Contact us to submit and update your data at least 10 working days before its effective date (launch date or date of change)

For information regarding medical devices and the dm+d, go to Drug Tariff Part IX.

Submit product price changes

To update NHS trade price changes, email pippa@nhsbsa.nhs.uk.

The Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances (ACBS) must approve price changes for their approved products, as listed in Drug Tariff Part XV, before you submit them to the dm+d.

How the price change mechanism works

As prices in the market are constantly changing, there is an agreed mechanism in place to adjust the reimbursement prices for medicines, as set out within the Drug Tariff.

Proprietary products

Price changes effective up to and including the 8th day of the month apply to prescriptions dispensed in the following month. Changes after the 8th day of the month will apply two months later.

For example, if the manufacturer’s list price for a proprietary product changed on 8 February, the new reimbursement price will apply to prescriptions dispensed in March. If a manufacturer’s list price changed on 9 February, the new reimbursement price will apply to prescriptions dispensed in April.

Generic products

For generic products, the reimbursement price change takes place one month earlier than for proprietary products.

For example, price changes effective up to and including the 8th day of the month will be applied to prescriptions dispensed in the same month. Changes after the 8th day of the month will apply to the following month.

Add new or reinstated licensed medicinal products or packs

To submit a new or reinstated licenced product or pack on the dm+d, you should include the:

effective date of product or pack launch
final version of SmPC (Summary of Product Characteristics) which includes the completion of Part 8 and Part 9
product name, as written in Part 1 of the SmPC - also include a copy of the packaging or artwork if possible
legal category
licensed routes of administration
marketed pack size and how it's packaged - for example, 28 tablets (two blisters of 14 tablets)
NHS trade price in pence - for example, 100000 pence, not £1000
availability restrictions - whether the pack is hospital/homecare only
unit GTIN code (previously known as EAN) if available

Add new ACBS approved products or packs

ACBS must approve your products before we can indicate them as ACBS on the dm+d and add them to the Drug Tariff Part XV.

You should include the:

effective date of product or pack launch
final version of the data sheet - also include a copy of the packaging or artwork if possible
product name as it appears on the packaging
marketed pack size and how it is packaged - for example, 400ml (four x 100ml bottles)
NHS trade price in pence - for example, 100000 pence not £1000
availability restrictions - whether the pack is hospital/homecare only
unit GTIN code (previously known as EAN) if available

Add new unlicensed products or packs

To submit an unlicenced new product or pack on the dm+d, you should include the:

effective date of product or pack launch
final version of the data sheet - also include a copy of the packaging or artwork if possible
product name as it appears on the packaging
marketed pack size and how it is packaged - for example, 400ml (4 x 100ml) bottles
NHS trade price in pence - for example, 100000 pence not £1000
availability restrictions - whether the pack is hospital/homecare only
unit GTIN code (previously known as EAN) if available

Discontinued products or packs

Products or packs that are no longer being manufactured will be indicated as discontinued on dm+d.

You must include:

the effective date of discontinued product or pack
the reason for discontinuation
if the product has been divested to another manufacturer or supplier
how much stock is still available

Submit information regarding discontinuations to pippa@nhsbsa.nhs.uk.

Submit other changes

The most common changes that affect the dm+d include:

name changes
changes in route of administration
changes to storage conditions
changes to nature and contents of container
GTIN changes
product divestment to another manufacturer or supplier

This is not a complete list. Email any information and changes to pippa@nhsbsa.nhs.uk and include the:

effective date of change
nature of the update