MEDICINE shortages are “around double what they were a year ago”, with over 100 drugs in short supply, it’s been claimed.
Pharmaceutical experts said they were seriously concerned about the ‘harm’ that could be caused to patients, with vital diabetes drugs among those affected by shortages.
PA:Press AssociationOver 100 medicines are currently in short supply, the the British Generic Manufacturers Association warned[/caption]
Speaking to the Health and Social Care Committee, chief executive of the British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA) Mark Samuels said they have been highlighting the medicine shortage risk to ministers since July 2021.
The BGMA is “very concerned” about the current situation, he told the committee.
Mr Samuels said: “We’ve been monitoring it for several years now, and as you saw in the written evidence, shortages have increased.
“They’re around double what they were a year ago. We have them at 101 shortages in February this year.”
The BGMA, a trade body representing manufacturers and suppliers of generic medicines, records which drugs are in short supply based on figures the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) shares.
Last year, it warned that 111 drugs were facing supply problems on October 30 and 96 on December 18.
Dr Rick Greville, director of distribution and supply at the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), also gave evidence to the committee, saying the shortage of certain medications “continues to be challenging”.
But when asked if the shortage is getting better or worse, he said it is “difficult to know as to whether it is increasing significantly, but certainly it’s a long-standing issue”.
Critical shortage of diabetes drugs
Meanwhile, there is “serious concern” about the potential harm to people with diabetes due to a shortage of medication, the committee was told.
It comes after NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care published a National Patient Safety Alert in relation to a shortage of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) last month.
The range of drugs help manage blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes, but there has been a surge in off-label prescriptions for some to aid weight loss.
The alert said supplies are not expected to return to normal “until at least the end of 2024”.
Helen Kirrane, head of policy, campaigns and mobilisation at Diabetes UK, said the shortage of GLP-1 has been having a “huge impact” on people with type 2 diabetes over the last six to eight months.
Asked if people were getting sicker as a result of the shortages, Ms Kirrane said it is often only over time that the serious consequences will come to light.
But she warned there is “serious concern about the harm that could be caused”.
Ms Kirrane said: “We’ve just been hearing devastating stories from people about the emotional toll it’s sort of taking on them not being able to access vital medications.
“Not being able to feel like they can continue, not be able to go to work and to live their daily lives, not being able to manage their condition effectively.”
Ms Kirrane said one of the key things Diabetes UK has seen with GLP-1 shortages is a “huge explosion of interest in this type of medication for weight loss globally over the last year or so”.
She added the charity has noted the “huge surge” in off-label prescribing in the private sector.
More than five million people on the UK are thought have diabetes, most of whom have type 2 – but new figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that more than a million Brits could be living with the condition undiagnosed.
On the ONS figures, Ms Kirrane said there is a “real potential for equipping, skilling up, training community pharmacy to understand more about prevention of type two diabetes”, and the care and support signposting could make a “huge difference to people”.
Steve Brine MP, chairman of the committee, said he saw three people in a community pharmacy being told their prescription was not available while waiting for 20 minutes as a customer.
He said the options those patients faced were to shop around to try and get prescriptions from alternative pharmacies or to go back to their GP and ask for another prescription for a different medicine for the same condition.
Janet Morrison, chief executive of Community Pharmacy England (CPE), said she believes pharmacists should be allowed to make substitutions for alternative appropriate medication or formularies.
In January, Dr Leyla Hannbeck – chief executive at the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies (AIMp) – told Sun Health that medicine shortages “have been consistently rising year-on-year”.
She said treatments for ADHD and scabies, as well as some cancer medicines, were among the drugs affected by high demand.
Meanwhile, a recent ITV report said pharmacists were warning that over 100 different medicines like hormone replacement therapies (HRT) and drugs to treat cholesterol are routinely in short supply.
She said shortages were affecting the whole of the UK, rather than being isolated to specific regions.
Worried you won’t be able to get your meds due to shortages?
Pharmacists have shared what you can do if you’re worried you won’t be able to access your medication due to shortages.
Navin Khosla, pharmacist at NowPatient, said you shouldn’t be overly concerned about shortages.
“Between the relevant members of the government and NHS leaders, procedures are put in place to deal with any potential issues relating to drug shortages,” he said.
“At most, you may have a short delay in obtaining your medication, which is a frequent occurrence across the UK, but you should be back to normal after a few days.”
He recommended you:
Speak to your pharmacist – they may be able to able to give you a smaller quantity while the rest of your prescription is on order, so you don’t miss out on taking your medication
Try a different pharmacy to see if they have your meds in stock
Get advice from your GP to if they can prescribe you a different course of medication until yours becomes available if you can’t get it at other pharmacies