Patients taking the UK’s most widely prescribed blood pressure medicine have been alerted to an ongoing supply problem. Ramipril 1.25mg capsules remain in short supply across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with MediWatch’s August 4 review classifying the situation as a “serious shortage”.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) first introduced a Serious Shortage Protocol on April 22 and later extended it beyond May 29. Under the measure, community pharmacies can supply no more than one month’s worth of Ramipril per prescription, even where patients would normally receive two or three months at a time.
Because the restriction is the result of a national medicines shortage and not any action by the patient, people who are usually issued a three-month supply should not face additional prescription charges when their medicine is dispensed under the protocol.
Ramipril 1.25mg and 2.5mg tablets, along with the oral solution, are still available. However, the DHSC has cautioned that these alternatives would not be able to absorb a sudden rise in demand if everyone currently using capsules tried to switch at once.
Anyone taking Ramipril 1.25mg capsules is being urged by MediWatch to speak to their pharmacist about possible tablet alternatives now, rather than waiting until local stocks become depleted.
The wider Ramipril supply chain has also faced added strain after a separate recall was issued on April 20 for one batch of Ramipril 10mg capsules made by Crescent Pharma. The recall followed a packaging error in which some cartons contained 5mg blister strips instead of the intended 10mg dose. Although that recall relates to patient safety rather than availability, it has contributed to pressure around the medicine.
Ramipril is used by around six million people in the UK and ranks among the 10 most-prescribed medicines overall, making any disruption to supply a significant issue for patients and pharmacists alike.
The medicine is an ACE inhibitor. After it is swallowed, the liver converts Ramipril into its active form, which is why it can take a short time before its full effect is felt.
While the family of medicines all work in a similar way, Ramipril is often prescribed because it stays in the body longer and can be taken once daily.
