Shortages of some medicines are putting patients at risk, pharmacists have warned.
A survey of 1,562 UK pharmacists for the Pharmaceutical Journal found that more than half (54%) believed patients had been put at risk in the past six months due to shortages.
Some patients have had difficulty accessing some medicines in recent months, sometimes having to go to several pharmacies to find their prescription or return to their GP for an alternative.
The issue came to the fore when a shortage of hormone replacement therapy drugs sparked an outcry earlier this year.
Since June, the government has issued a series of “medicine supply notifications”, highlighting the shortage.
Some of these include: pain-relieving drugs used in childbirth; mouth ulcer medications; migraine treatment; an antihistamine; a drug used by patients with prostate cancer and endometriosis; an antipsychotic drug used among patients with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia; a type of inhaler and a certain brand of insulin.
The Pharmaceutical Journal also reported that on August 3, ministers urged hospitals to “keep stock” of an anticoagulant drug used to treat strokes.
Some pharmacists have expressed concern about switching patients from certain medications to alternatives.
Ways to alleviate shortages
Community pharmacists told the Pharmaceutical Journal this month that shortages of the osteoporosis drug alendronic acid were contributing to medication errors when alternatives were prescribed.
The magazine reports that talks have begun with pharmacy leaders and the government about ways to ease the shortage.
Explainer: Why is there a shortage of HRT?
A pharmacist at a children’s hospital in England said problems with the variable supply of nutritional products were putting patients at risk.
“We’ve had to ration it and that has put patients at risk of vitamin deficiencies,” he said.
Another hospital pharmacist expressed concern that medications are not available at the end of a patient’s life.
They told the journal: “There was no alternative for a patient who had to deal with an additional symptom in his last days of life because of the lack of available treatment.”
Patient safety
Mike Dent, director of pharmacy funding at the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, told the magazine: “We are increasingly concerned about drug supply issues and the very serious impact this is having on both pharmacy teams of the community as in their patients”.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “We take patient safety very seriously and regularly share information about drug supply issues directly with the NHS so they can put plans in place to reduce the risk of any shortages affecting patients, including the offer.alternative medication.
“We have well-established procedures for dealing with drug shortages and work closely with industry, the NHS and others to prevent shortages and resolve any issues as quickly as possible.”