A man with epilepsy in Leeds died in the autumn after the pharmacy ran out of medicine
A man with epilepsy died in a fall after his pharmacy allegedly left him a bond for his prescription medication when he ran out of anti-seizure medication.
David Crompton, a 44-year-old man in Leeds, died on December 13 after a fall from downstairs resulted in loss of oxygen to his brain and cardiac arrest.
A coroner’s report on Crompton’s death, originally reported in P3Pharmacydiscovered his epilepsy was a contributing factor as he was prescribed Tegretol but left without the medication after his pharmacy, Midway Pharmacy in Pudsey, failed to supply it.
It was the second time he had been without the medicine after the pharmacy failed to supply it. The first was in April 2024, when Crompton was off medication for about ten days, during which time he suffered his first fall.
Kevin McLoughlin, senior coroner for West Yorkshire, said in his report: “The evidence given by relatives at the inquest was that when the pharmacy was unable to supply the prescribed Tegretol medication, it was left to them to contact contact other pharmacies to see if they could do that. instead of having to go to the pharmacy to find supplies.
“The inquest was informed that following the April 2024 episode (against Mr Crompton), hospital specialists noted that the absence of Tegretol for approximately 10 days was ‘likely to have contributed to your seizure activity’. The question is whether lessons have been learned from this potentially dangerous interval.”
In May 2024, the Department of Health and Social Care issued a supply notification for Tegretol 100mg/5ml liquid, with manufacturer Novartis saying that some supplies were available but that it “may take some time for stocks to return to normal levels ”.
In January last year it was reported that an unprecedented shortage of medicines in the NHS was putting lives at risk, as unpublished figures showed the number of shortages had doubled in two years.
Clare Pelham, the chief executive of the Epilepsy Society, said: “How can someone sadly die as a result of drug shortages in Britain? We have been warning for months about the worst and most extreme outcome that drug shortages can have for people with epilepsy.
“I hope that David’s sad death will be what it takes to prompt the government to take action now. As Winston Churchill once said, we need action today.
“We need a task force with strong leadership and accountability. Charities and people from the pharmaceutical industry and supply chain are only too willing to lend their expertise and I hope Health Secretary Wes Streeting will recognize the importance of taking action now.”
Midway Pharmacy has been contacted for comment.