Charles Joynson, WaveData MD, investigates the Long Term UK Market Price Trend of Morphine Sulphate Solution for Injection Amps 30mg/1ml 10.
Since Feb 2022 the market price for this Category C product has risen from around £9 to over £20. However, for the eight years prior the prices were stable and the drug tariff remained on or just above the average UK market price. Despite an increase in reimbursement at the end of 2017 there was very little profit to be squeezed from this critical care pain killer.
Then, in early 2022 market prices started rising, which may have related to the Afghan Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada’s decree that poppy cultivation, the source of heroin and medical morphine, was strictly prohibited. Those farmers who violated the ban would have their fields destroyed and be penalised according to Sharia law.
As market prices are still rising, pharma companies must still be working to find alternative sources. However, there is evidence that new manufacturers and wholesalers are beginning to offer their products to pharmacies, so the outlook is promising.