More than half a million women have benefitted from cheaper hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to ease menopause symptoms since last April.
From 1 April 2023, women who were prescribed HRT have been able to use a prescription pre-payment certificate (PPC) that reduced treatment costs to just £19.30 a year.
The government says women have saved over £11m in the last nine months.
The HRT PPC is eligible against patches and tablets, and can be used as many times as needed throughout the year.
Minister for the women’s health strategy, Maria Caulfield, said: “Every woman is different and so it’s essential we make sure all women can access the right medication that works for them.
“Many women often need to try a few different types of HRT to get the right medication that works for them. By reducing the price of HRT to under £20 for a year’s supply, we’ve made it more equitable for women to go on living their normal lives.”
The news comes just after the health secretary, Victoria Atkins, set out the government’s women’s health priorities for 2024.
These included bolstering maternity care, improving care for menstrual conditions, expanding women’s health hubs, tackling inequalities, and enabling more research.
Part of this work includes the £25m investment for women’s health hubs which will improve care for women with menopause. The government wants to establish at least one hub in every local area this year.
NHS England will continue its work to improve menopause services with new guidance pilots for nurses, GPS and other staff.
The women’s health ambassador for England, Professor Dame Lesley Regan, explained: “When we created this strategy, we made it clear it would improve women’s health outcomes. 500,000 women accessing affordable HRT is a clear, tangible result of just that.”
During her speech on the women’s health focuses for this year, Atkins also announced the reappointment of Prof Regan to her ambassadorial role for another two years.
Read the women’s health strategy.
Image credit: iStock
