WaveData has been collecting data for OTC products such as Ascorbic Acid Tabs 500mg 28 pack and 100 pack (Vitamin C) for over ten years. This product is particularly interesting due to the price rise around July 2014.
We can see from this graph Ascorbic Acid Tabs 500mg 100 was withdrawn in April 2012. This could be an explanation for the price rise of Ascorbic Acid Tabs 500mg 28 in as there was no other 500mg pack available. Manufacturers may have been thinking about withdrawing as the price was too low.
We have seen a rise in the average UK price of Ascorbic Acid Tabs 500mg 28 from Dec 2013 to April 2017. We can see that the reimbursement price followed the price of Ascorbic Acid Tabs 500mg 18 from October 2010 until March 2015 when it exceeded and has stayed at above £26 since April 2015. This may suggest the DHSC are be expecting another price rise, or they may be maintaining a high reimbursement price on this Category A product to avoid future availability issues.
The long-term history came from BPPI and WaveData Live which can be accessed from www.wavedata.co.uk
Need to identify a product opportunity? Contact us for a bespoke report at