Drug shortages spark 'serious risk' as painkillers, antibiotics and blood pressure medicine running low in UK

Drug shortages spark 'serious risk' as painkillers, antibiotics and blood pressure medicine running low in UK EXCLUSIVE: Patients are being forced to pay privately and even go abroad for vital medicines, including for pancreatic cancer, due to stark drug shortages in the UK Medicine shortages are causing a serious risk to patient safety, pharmacists have warned. Common drugs, including painkillers, antibiotics, blood pressure medication - as well as pharmaceuticals to manage diseases like epilepsy, pancreatic cancer, cystic fibrosis, diabetes and ADHD - are all in short supply. Serious Shortage Protocols, which are used to describe shortages and allow alternatives to be prescribed, are also in place for a string of other medicines, including Estradot, a form of hormone replacement therapy for menopausal symptoms. Ashley Cohen, who has been working as a pharmacist for almost 35 years and is a National Pharmacy Association Board Member, told the Mirror: "I have never known such a chronic medicine shortage as at the moment. This is now not an inconvenience and a frustration, it's a patient safety issue. "With certain medicines and disease areas, such as epilepsy, the significance of somebody not getting their medicine may mean they have a seizure, they could be hospitalised or worst case scenario patients have died. I am aware of some instances where shortages have caused significant patient issues." The shortages are being blamed on surging global prices and a lack of government funding which has not kept up with costs, as well as supply issues caused by the Iran war and the near total closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has led to shipping delays and disruption to air-freight. The NHS pays pharmacies a fixed price for each medicine it dispenses. Pharmacies are then expected to source the drug for that amount, or less. But in April, the government's price concessions list, which includes drugs that cost more than the price the government is willing to pay, hit a record high with 210 named medications on it. Mr Cohen, who runs a pharmacy chain in Leeds, west Yorkshire, says global manufacturers are selling drugs to other countries ahead of the UK as they are paying more money. He said: "It's down to supply and demand. Manufacturers are diverting large volumes of stocks to stay in France and Germany because they're prepared to pay more for their medicines than the UK government are willing to pay. The government need to put more money into the medicines market." Mr Cohen says he has been forced to ration stocks of some drugs, including Creon, used to enable patients with pancreatic cancer and cystic fibrosis to digest food. He said: "It is absolutely ridiculous. We're almost a third world country in terms of our supply. "It is very fluid. Medicines can be short one day and come in the next day, but Creon has been like this for coming up to two years. I am getting messages back from wholesalers and suppliers telling me no stock is available at all so if I can't get it in, no pharmacy has got it in and we're literally rationing patients. "I'm hearing horror stories of patients going abroad and paying privately for it because you literally can't function without Creon if you've got pancreatic cancer or cystic fibrosis. We've had that also with ADHD and epilepsy medicines where people are coming in on a daily or weekly basis to get that. It breaks my heart to not be able to have solutions for these patients." Mr Cohen added there is a danger of a black market popping up that would allow rogue individuals to prey on desperate patients, potentially selling imports that cost more than the going rate or even don't work. Among patients who have been forced to go abroad for their Creon medicine is Cathy Moreau, 71, from Wandsworth, south west London. She travels to France, where she has a flat, to obtain extra supplies amid fears of running out. Cathy said: "We don't have a shortage in France. It is cheaper by quite a lot than at private pharmacies in England." She added: "If I don't have the Creon I can't digest my food. It's life-threatening because if you can't digest your food you're going to lose weight and that's not sustainable." A survey by the National Pharmacy Association, which represents around 6,000 independent community pharmacies in the UK, found 96% of pharmacies feel the situation poses a serious risk to the safety of their patients. Some 83% of pharmacy teams have also faced abuse or anger from patients due to a prescribed medicine being unavailable. Olivier Picard, chair of the National Pharmacy Association, said: "These shortages are some of the most severe the UK has experienced. Our medicines market has never been so volatile, with patients and primary care colleagues at the sharp end of events outside of 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." Mr Picard, who runs his own pharmacy, added: "Pharmacies spend significant time hunting stock and liaising with GP teams when they should be getting on with caring for their patients. We're urging the Government to convene an emergency taskforce to bring together all parts of the supply chain to tackle this issue. "As well as this, the Government should amend legislation that prevents pharmacies from making simple substitutions to a prescription, where a safe alternative is in stock." Dr Leyla Hannbeck, Chief Executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association, agrees there is a problem. She said: "Medicine shortages are causing huge problems for pharmacies and patients across the country. "Pharmacists are spending increasing amounts of time trying to source medicines, speaking to prescribers about alternatives and reassuring worried patients who are often unable to access the treatments they rely on. "We are particularly concerned about shortages affecting medicines used to treat long-term conditions, where interruptions to treatment can have serious consequences for patients' health and wellbeing. We have also received anecdotal reports that some patients, frustrated by ongoing shortages, are turning to overseas websites to obtain medicines. That is deeply concerning because patients can never be certain of the safety or authenticity of medicines obtained from unregulated sources. "The Government cannot continue to ignore this issue. Community pharmacies are being left to pick up the pieces, but they cannot continue to shoulder this burden alone. Urgent action is needed to strengthen medicine supply chains and protect patients' access to vital medicines." The National Pharmacy Association now wants the Government to convene an urgent taskforce, including manufacturers, wholesalers and clinicians, to battle the shortages. The Royal College of GPs is backing its calls for pharmacists to be able to make changes to prescriptions when a medicine is unavailable, and to dispense a safe alternative. Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown, president of the RCGP, said: "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." She added: "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 Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson 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 £520million to the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund to boost UK production.”