Health leaders have raised serious concerns over patient safety as shortages continue to affect pain relief medicines, blood pressure treatments and epilepsy drugs.
Specialists have already warned that access to medication in Britain is at its weakest in years, increasing the risk of strokes, heart attacks and seizures for some patients.
The supply problems have been linked to the war in Iran, and the National Pharmacy Association is now urging the Government to set up an emergency taskforce to address the crisis.
Experts warn that without swift intervention, the shortages could persist well into 2027.
“These shortages are among the worst the UK has ever faced,” said Oliver Picard, chair of the NPA.
“Our medicines market has never been this unstable, with patients and frontline carers bearing the brunt of events far beyond their control.”
‘It is deeply distressing to find patients who have travelled from pharmacy to pharmacy to find the medicines they need without success.
‘Although medicine shortages are frustrating and worrying, we are clear that in some instances they pose a serious risk to patient safety.’
The struggle to get hold of medication in England is set to get worse (stock image)
Serious shortage protocols are used in the UK to allow alternative drugs to be prescribed.
Currently, Ramipril – one of the most widely prescribed blood pressure medications- has such a protocol in place, with prescription co-codamol and some low-dose aspirin painkillers also in short supply.
Such protocols will see patients limited one month’s supply of pills at a time, but many pharmacists are already struggling to meet demand.
There are also ongoing shortages of Creon, a drug used to treat pancreatic cancer, due to disruption to air freight routes as well as higher shipping costs.
Protocols for the drug will remain in place until at least July, marking a new two-year record.
Estradot, a form of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) used to manage symptoms of the menopause is also largely out of stock.
Over-complicated funding processes in the UK have also been blamed for costing patients their lives.
Price concessions occur when the Department of Health and Social Care lets the NHS pay more than usual for certain drugs, as a temporary measure to circumvent supply problems.
In April, the number of drugs on concession reached a record high as hundreds of pharmacies experienced price hikes of some of the most commonly prescribed drugs.
According to the European Medicines Agency, which represents around 6,000 independent community pharmacies across the UK, some 96 per cent feel the situation poses a ‘serious risk to the safety of their patients.’
As a result, 80 per cent of pharmacy workers have faced abuse or anger from patients due to a prescribed medicine being unavailable.
Now, the NPA is urging the Government to amend legislation that prevent pharmacies from making simple substitutions to a prescription, where a safe alternative is in stock.
‘Pharmacies spend significant time hunting stock and liaising with GP teams when they should be getting on with caring for their patients,’ Picard said.
‘We’re urging the Government to convene an emergency taskforce to bring together all parts of the supply chain to tackle this issue.’
Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown, president of The Royal College of GPs added: ‘Medicine shortages can be frustrating for patients, GPs and pharmacists alike, especially when patients have to endure lots of back and forth to acquire a suitable alternative.
‘At a time when GPs and pharmacists are working under significant pressures, medicine shortages only add to this.
‘With appropriate safeguards in place, the college is supportive of pharmacists being able to make limited changes to prescriptions when a medicine is unavailable and a safe, clinically appropriate alternative is available within agreed prescribing guidance.
‘We would also support systems that enable timely communication between pharmacists and GP practices when shortages arise, without creating unnecessary administrative burden.
‘The most important thing is that patients are able to access the medication they need safely and without delay.
‘More widely, it’s essential that when shortages occur, the underlying causes are quickly identified and resolved.’
A spokesperson from The Department of Health and Social Care said: ‘The overwhelming majority of medicines licensed in the UK are in good supply and patients should know that when visiting the pharmacy, their prescriptions will be available.
‘Ensuring there is robust supply of medicines is vital and this government is making significant investments in the UK medicine manufacturing industry to strengthen it.
‘We have clear plans in place to manage any disruptions and work closely with industry to keep supplies stable, including investing up to £520 million to the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund to boost UK production.’
