Latest news with #medicineShortages
Telegraph
10-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Trump drug tariffs ‘risk medicine shortages across Britain'
Donald Trump's plans to slap 'very, very high' tariffs on drugs risk fuelling medicine shortages across Britain, pharmacists have warned. Ministers have been told to draw up plans to ensure patients can keep accessing vital medicines, after the US president on Tuesday threatened new tariffs of up to 200pc on pharmaceutical imports. Mr Trump said the White House would be announcing 'something very soon on pharmaceuticals'. Dr Leyla Hannbeck, the chief executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association, said any new levies would have 'direct consequences for our patients and the community pharmacies they rely on'. The UK imports around £27bn worth of medicines and pharmaceutical products every year and exports £8.8bn of pharmaceutical products to the United States. Although the UK may be able to negotiate a rapid exemption from new US levies on medicine imports following its trade deal with Mr Trump, any tariffs would be expected to send shockwaves through the drug supply chain. Henry Gregg, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association, said there were concerns over what would happen to drug prices in the UK if Trump followed through on his threats. He said the UK medicine supply chain was 'complex and dependent on many international factors, including events in the US'. Dr Hannbeck said higher prices could make it harder for local pharmacies to keep stocking medicines, adding: 'New tariffs threaten to push up the price of many vital medicines way beyond the level at which the NHS currently reimburses pharmacies. 'That would be unsustainable, presenting a real and present danger to the viability of independent pharmacies across the country and exacerbate medicines shortages that many patients are currently experiencing.' Price rise fears Dr Hannbeck said ministers needed to be ready to take 'immediate and decisive action to protect pharmacies' ability to buy the medicines patients need' if Mr Trump imposed new tariffs. She added: 'The medicine shortage can't get worse, the Government needs a plan.' It comes amid growing alarm at the high level of drug shortages in the UK after years of Britain being overly reliant on medicine ingredients manufactured abroad. A poll conducted by the National Pharmacy Association in March found that all 500 pharmacies surveyed were unable to dispense a prescription at least once a day as a result of supply issues. Earlier this week, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on pharmacy pointed to research suggesting shortages were a routine feature of daily practice for 84pc cent of pharmacists. MPs said shortages of medicines were becoming a 'permanent and escalating feature' of the UK healthcare system. The UK currently pays more than three times less for its medicine supplies than the US. It has been a gripe of Mr Trump, who is understood to be pressing the NHS to pay more for innovative drugs under the terms of a UK-US trade deal. Pharma bosses are currently locked in talks with the Government over an NHS spending cap, designed to keep the UK medicine bill down. However, both sides have yet to reach an agreement, delaying the Government's long-awaited life sciences strategy plan. Mr Gregg said: 'Medicine shortages and problems in the supply chain can be devastating for patients whose health depends on a reliable and predictable supply of medication.' Paul Callaghan, policy manager for patient group Healthwatch England, said: 'If supply issues risk worsening, it's more important than ever that action is taken... It is clear that many patients find current medicine shortages both frustrating and distressing.' Shares in drugmakers AstraZeneca and GSK initially slumped following Mr Trump's warning over pharma tariffs on Tuesday night. However, both stocks later recovered as investors realised companies would have time to prepare. Mr Trump said on Tuesday: 'We're going to give people a year, a year and a half to come in and after that they're going to be tariffed if they bring pharmaceuticals into the country.' A government spokesman said: 'The UK has well-established ways of managing the cost of medicines and clear processes in place to protect against risks to supply. Our trade agenda would never stop this. 'We were the first country to agree a deal with the US that lowered tariffs on key sectors, protected jobs and received one of the lowest reciprocal tariff rates in the world. Conversations with the US are ongoing and we will work closely with them to implement the best deal for the public and our economy.'
The Independent
08-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Sheer scale of medicine shortages laid bare in report
A new report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on pharmacy warns that persistent and widespread medicine shortages are causing serious harm to patients. The report highlights the severe impact of these shortages on individuals with conditions such as ADHD, menopause, and diabetes. Surveys revealed that over 90 per cent of pharmacists, GPs, and prescribers reported shortages of ADHD medicines, with significant impacts also noted for HRT, diabetes drugs, and antibiotics. The APPG calls for urgent action, including better support and information for patients, and for medicine security to be treated as a core component of NHS planning. The Department of Health and Social Care acknowledges global supply problems and states it has measures in place to mitigate disruption and build supply chain resilience.
The Independent
07-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Medicine shortages put patients at risk, MPs and peers warn
Patients are facing serious harm from persistent and widespread medicine shortages, MPs and peers have warned. A new report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on pharmacy called for urgent action to ensure shortages do not become the 'new normal'. It also highlights the impact that shortages are having on patients with the likes of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), menopause and diabetes. Writing in the report, Steve Race, chairman of the APPG on pharmacy, said many MPs 'have received a growing volume of correspondence from constituents who are understandably anxious about the availability of their medicines'. 'Whether it is a parent unable to access antibiotics for a sick child, an elderly patient facing delays in obtaining life-sustaining medication, or a pharmacist overwhelmed by the need to source alternatives, the human impact is both visible and deeply troubling,' he wrote. The report said that while medicine shortages are 'not a new phenomenon', they have 'become increasingly severe, persistent, and disruptive' in recent years – leading to consequences for patients, staff and the wider health service. Mr Race said: 'Medicines shortages have moved from isolated incidents to a chronic structural challenge for both the NHS and pharmacy sector. 'As Government continues to recognise and invest in the expanded clinical role of community pharmacy, we must ensure the medicines supply chain underpinning that care is equally robust, resilient and patient-focused. 'Pharmacy is central to NHS recovery and transformation, but frontline teams cannot safely expand clinical services while daily supply disruptions continue to impact the health of patients.' The findings also highlight how shortages severely impact patients with conditions like ADHD, menopause and diabetes. More than nine in 10 pharmacists, GPs and prescribers told an APPG survey ADHD medicines had been affected by shortages. Around three quarters (76%) said HRT and diabetes drugs had been affected, while 44% said antibiotics. One patient with ADHD told the inquiry they had been self-medicating with cannabis due to an ongoing shortage of methylphenidate. The report said: 'These shortages are having a significant impact on patients' ability to access treatments and in some cases are having serious impact on patients' health and well-being.' Mr Race added: 'Medicines security must be treated as a core component of NHS planning, alongside funding, workforce and digital infrastructure. 'Failure to act risks further undermining patient care and destabilising a community pharmacy sector that millions depend upon.' The APPG has laid out a number of recommendations, which includes a number of measures to better support patients. People impacted by shortages, particularly those with chronic conditions, struggle to find information on out of stock drugs, leading to 'frustration, dangerous delays in care, and unnecessary anxiety and harm', it said. It also welcomed work being carried out by the Department of Health and Social Care to potentially change pharmacist prescribing protocols to allow pharmacists to make dose and formulation changes during shortages. Elsewhere, the inquiry found more than eight in 10 pharmacists face daily shortages, with many spending hours every day finding alternative treatment and communicating with distressed patients. One told the APPG they are 'constantly firefighting'. Reacting to the report, Henry Gregg, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), said: 'Pharmacy teams are under enormous pressure but are forced to spend hours hunting down stock for distressed and frustrated patients. 'It is particularly frustrating for pharmacists to be unable to meet a clear need when they have a perfectly safe and effective solution in their pharmacy already. 'MPs are right that it is madness to send someone back to their GP to get a prescription changed, and it risks a patient either delaying taking vital medication or forgoing it altogether, which poses a clear risk to patient safety. 'As the APPG says, the Government must allow pharmacists – who are highly trained health care practitioners – to use their professional judgment to supply an appropriate alternative medication when the prescribed version is unavailable.' A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'This government inherited ongoing global supply problems, but we have robust measures in place to mitigate disruption for patients. 'We are working to build the resilience of medicine supply chains and prevent future disruption as we get the NHS back on its feet. 'We have recently agreed an extra £617 million of funding over two years with Community Pharmacy England to support the sector and provide patients with more services closer to home as part of our 10 Year Health Plan.'
The Independent
07-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Persistent and widespread medicine shortages putting patients at risk
Patients are facing serious harm due to persistent and widespread medicine shortages, MPs and peers have warned in a new report. The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on pharmacy called for urgent action to prevent critical shortfalls from becoming the "new normal", highlighting the impact that shortages are having on patients with ADHD, menopause and diabetes. Steve Race, chairman of the APPG on pharmacy, said many MPs 'have received a growing volume of correspondence from constituents who are understandably anxious about the availability of their medicines'. 'Whether it is a parent unable to access antibiotics for a sick child, an elderly patient facing delays in obtaining life-sustaining medication, or a pharmacist overwhelmed by the need to source alternatives, the human impact is both visible and deeply troubling,' he wrote in the report. The report said that while medicine shortages are 'not a new phenomenon', they have 'become increasingly severe, persistent, and disruptive' in recent years – leading to consequences for patients, staff and the wider health service. 'Medicines shortages have moved from isolated incidents to a chronic structural challenge for both the NHS and pharmacy sector,' he said. 'As the government continues to recognise and invest in the expanded clinical role of community pharmacy, we must ensure the medicines supply chain underpinning that care is equally robust, resilient and patient-focused. 'Pharmacy is central to NHS recovery and transformation, but frontline teams cannot safely expand clinical services while daily supply disruptions continue to impact the health of patients.' The findings also highlight how shortages severely impact patients with conditions like ADHD, menopause and diabetes. More than nine in 10 pharmacists, GPs and prescribers told an APPG survey ADHD medicines had been affected by shortages. Around three-quarters (76 per cent) said HRT and diabetes drugs had been affected, while 44 per cent said antibiotics. One patient with ADHD told the inquiry they had been self-medicating with cannabis due to an ongoing shortage of methylphenidate. The report said: 'These shortages are having a significant impact on patients' ability to access treatments and in some cases are having serious impact on patients' health and well-being.' Mr Race added: 'Medicines security must be treated as a core component of NHS planning, alongside funding, workforce and digital infrastructure. 'Failure to act risks further undermining patient care and destabilising a community pharmacy sector that millions depend upon.' The APPG has laid out a number of recommendations, which include a number of measures to better support patients. People impacted by shortages, particularly those with chronic conditions, struggle to find information on out-of-stock drugs, leading to 'frustration, dangerous delays in care, and unnecessary anxiety and harm', it said. It also welcomed work being carried out by the Department of Health and Social Care to potentially change pharmacist prescribing protocols to allow pharmacists to make dose and formulation changes during shortages. Elsewhere, the inquiry found more than eight in 10 pharmacists face daily shortages, with many spending hours every day finding alternative treatment and communicating with distressed patients. One told the APPG they are 'constantly firefighting'. Reacting to the report, Henry Gregg, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), said: 'Pharmacy teams are under enormous pressure but are forced to spend hours hunting down stock for distressed and frustrated patients. 'It is particularly frustrating for pharmacists to be unable to meet a clear need when they have a perfectly safe and effective solution in their pharmacy already. 'MPs are right that it is madness to send someone back to their GP to get a prescription changed, and it risks a patient either delaying taking vital medication or forgoing it altogether, which poses a clear risk to patient safety. 'As the APPG says, the Government must allow pharmacists – who are highly trained health care practitioners – to use their professional judgment to supply an appropriate alternative medication when the prescribed version is unavailable.' A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'This government inherited ongoing global supply problems, but we have robust measures in place to mitigate disruption for patients. 'We are working to build the resilience of medicine supply chains and prevent future disruption as we get the NHS back on its feet. 'We have recently agreed an extra £617 million of funding over two years with Community Pharmacy England to support the sector and provide patients with more services closer to home as part of our 10 Year Health Plan.'
The Independent
29-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Drug shortages causing ‘unprecedented' issues for patients
Medicine shortages are now a "distressing new normal" for patients, posing a significant risk to public health, pharmacists have warned. A new report from Community Pharmacy England (CPE), which represents over 10,000 community pharmacies, highlighted the "unprecedented" issues patients are facing due to a lack of available drugs. The organisation's survey, which polled more than 4,300 pharmacy owners and 1,600 pharmacy workers across England, found the situation to be worse than when a similar assessment was conducted three years ago. It found: Some 95 per cent of pharmacy workers said patients are still being inconvenienced by ongoing shortages, while 73 per cent said supply issues are putting patient's health at risk; Many are faced with frustrated patients, with 79 per cent reporting incidents of patient aggression when medicines were unavailable or delayed; Some 86 per cent of pharmacy owners said shortages are leading patients to visit multiple pharmacies in search of medicines; Looking for medicines is time-consuming for staff, with 39 per cent of pharmacy staff now spending one to two hours every day trying to get hold of drugs, with more than a quarter (26 per cent) spending longer than two hours; Almost half (49 per cent) of pharmacy owners said patient services are being negatively affected by pressures on their business, and 94 per cent link this directly to medicine supply problems. Community Pharmacy England said that, in the last year alone, the Government has issued serious shortage protocols (SSPs) for key medicines used to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, angina, HRT, antibiotics such as cefalexin and clarithromycin, and medicines for cardiovascular disease and pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy. There are also ongoing shortages of drugs for ADHD, diabetes and epilepsy, it said. SSPs occur to identify alternative drugs or quantity that may be supplied if a medicine is out of stock. Janet Morrison, chief executive of Community Pharmacy England, said: 'Our survey shows that as medicine supply issues remain a daily reality across the country, the risk to patient health has become a distressing new normal. 'Delays in receiving medicines not only disrupt patients' treatment but can also cause unnecessary stress and potential harm to their health. 'The ongoing time and effort required to manage shortages also adds pressure on pharmacy teams, who are already working at full stretch. 'Our survey results suggest a system stuck that is stuck at breaking point.' She said the problems were caused by issues ranging from product discontinuations to global supply chain challenges. 'We also believe that consistently low medicine prices in the UK have made the market less appealing to manufacturers, further weakening the resilience of the supply system,' she said. 'The future is uncertain, with expected drug price inflation and potential knock-on effects across the NHS, but we welcome the Government's commitment to ongoing work to shore up supply chain resilience and will be monitoring the situation.' When compared with 2022, the 2025 survey found a worsening picture, with 51 per cent of pharmacy teams in 2022 saying patients were being negatively affected by supply delays, rising to 73 per cent in 2025. Supply issues were also more frequent, while teams are spending longer trying to sort them out. Fin McCaul, a community pharmacy owner in Greater Manchester, said: 'It's not just a matter of running out of stock: patients are rightly frustrated, and their health is being harmed. 'Our teams are caught in the middle, spending hours calling suppliers and contacting GPs, trying to find alternatives, while also trying to keep patients informed. 'The constant uncertainty is affecting both our staff and patients, and each year it only seems to get worse.' It comes as a Healthwatch England survey of more than 7,000 adults found one in four continue to report medicine shortages, while issues such as prescription delays, pharmacy closures, and affordability are on the rise. Some 18 per cent reported prescription errors, 5 per cent were worried about cost and 9 per cent reported unexpected pharmacy closures. The poll also suggested people are not always aware of the conditions that pharmacists can treat in order to avoid a trip to the GP. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'This government inherited ongoing global supply problems, but we have robust measures in place to mitigate disruption for patients. 'We are working to build the resilience of medicine supply chains and prevent future disruption as we get the NHS back on its feet. 'We have recently agreed an extra £617 million of funding over two years with Community Pharmacy England to help community pharmacies, support the sector and provide patients with greater services closer to home. 'Deliberate violence or abuse directed at healthcare staff is unacceptable and all staff, including pharmacists and their teams, deserve to work in a safe and secure environment.'
