Update on the Availability of Dovonex Ointment

Despite its recent reclassification by the MHRA, Dovonex will remain a prescription-only treatment.

You may recently have read about the decision by the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to reclassify Dovonex Ointment from a prescription-only treatment to over-the-counter. Since this decision was announced, we have received the statement below from LEO Pharma, the manufacturer of Dovonex, and despite its reclassification, Dovonex is set to remain a prescription-only treatment:

Dovonex® Psoriasis 50 microgram/g Ointment (calcipotriol) received its UK reclassification licence from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) on 17.08.2017. It is indicated for the topical treatment of adults with mild to moderate plaque psoriasis which has previously been diagnosed by a doctor.1 Dovonex® Psoriasis Ointment is manufactured by LEO Pharma. 

Transitioning a medicine from prescription only to one that is available to buy from pharmacies often happens over a period of months, or even years. This is because it is important that all due care is taken to ensure patient safety as medicines are made available in new ways. 

During the period in which LEO Pharma UK awaited this new licence, a new global strategy for LEO Pharma towards 2025 was defined. Whilst our company’s foundation is firmly grounded in our established topical treatments, our future strategy will also include the development of new innovative systemic treatments in psoriasis and other skin conditions, where we feel the unmet need is greatest. The new focus for our global business will now be on the development, manufacture and supply of prescription only medicines. 

In line with this direction the difficult decision has been taken not to make Dovonex® Psoriasis Ointment available to buy from pharmacies. We can confirm, however, that the original form of the product is still available to UK patients by prescription. 

Our ultimate mission has always been to help people achieve healthy skin and by expanding our treatment offering in this way we hope to benefit as many people living with skin diseases as possible. 

We would urge anyone with any questions about the skin condition to speak with their healthcare professional. Alternatively anyone wishing to contact LEO Pharma directly with a question about our products can do so via our Medical Information team (contact details below). 

Medical Information line contact details: Medical-info.uk@leo-pharma.com

References 

1. Dovonex® Psoriasis 50 microgram/g Ointment (calcipotriol)(P) UK SmPC: [LEO Pharma Data On File]