Did you know you can make significant savings on medication? (stock) (Image: Getty)
Next time you require medication such as cold and flu tablets, sinus and headache relief, – you may want to think twice before “overpaying”.
That’s the advice of Claire, who shares financial advice for Brits via her social media accounts. Sharing footage from inside a Boots pharmacy, she pointed out that leading brand, Sudafed’s Congestion & Headache Relief capsules retail for £5.99.
However, a money-saving trick lies within its packaging. Claire advised: “If you look at the bottom of the box, it has a PL code [in this case PL 12063/0073], which is basically the medicine’s ID [product licence].”
She then picked out a product from Boots’ own range – Max Strength Cold & Flu Relief capsules, which are priced at £2.40 – less than half of the cost of the Sudafed equivalent.
Examining the box, Claire continued: “It has the exact same PL code, which means they are the exact same.”
She wasn’t done there – as she went on to point out that even greater savings can be made elsewhere.
Claire added: “I found them in Savers for just £1.19 for 16 capsules, which is five times cheaper than Sudafed versions – and it’s the exact same medicine, just in different packaging.”
Wrapping up the video, Claire closed: “Don’t fall for fancy branding and make sure you always check the PL code and you can save yourself a lot of money.”
Money Saving Expert backs up this advice online, explaining how to spot which tablets are near-identical.
“Check the PL number on the packet,” Martin Lewis’ organisation advises. “It’s a unique licence number given to a particular drug made by a particular manufacturer (such as PL 12063/0104, which is a cold and flu remedy). The medicine can be generic or branded, and it can even be marketed at different ailments, but if the PL numbers match, it’s the same drug.”
What if the ingredients are identical, but the PL number is different? Money Saving Expert adds: “Confusingly, medicines with the same formulation, from the same brand, can have different PL numbers. This is because companies sometimes license the same formulation under multiple product names.
“Even if there’s not an identical medicine that’s cheaper, don’t sniffle at generic equivalents. It’s a medicine’s ‘active’ ingredient that matters – the rest is largely irrelevant (unless you’ve certain allergies or avoid gelatine), though liquid capsules work quicker and some taste different.”
People were grateful for Claire’s advice and took to the TikTok comments section to leave their thoughts.
One wrote: “A pharmacist I use always sells me the generic product, she’s saved me a lot of money!” A second said: “This is good to know.” And a third wrote: “Thank you, I will use this.”
If you have any questions or concerns about medication, always ask a pharmacist or other relevant medical professional.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
