Britain’s medicine shortages are caused by regulatory failure | Letters

The news that European countries are working together to secure drug supplies with a stockpile of 200 crucial products comes as Britain faces the increasingly bleak prospect of more regular shortages (the EU’s drug stockpile plan would see record shortages in Britain, January 25).

Generic medicines – exact copies of original patented products – fill 80% of all prescriptions used by NHS patients. They also save the taxpayer £15 billion a year through a competitive market, which has meant we enjoy the lowest drug prices in Europe. However, a range of threats are undermining the resilience of the UK’s generic medicines supply chain, causing shortages to become increasingly common.

Chief among these challenges is the deteriorating performance of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Not long ago, it took about a year to make routine licensing changes. Now, due to budget cuts, this could take up to two and a half years. This means that companies looking to add shares to the market when there are shortages are frustrated. Post-Brexit challenges, government pricing schemes and a failure to recognize the importance of generics mean international companies see Britain as an increasingly difficult place to operate. The result will mean that access to medicines – routine to life-changing – will become more difficult.
Mark Samuels
Chief executive of the British Generic Manufacturers Association

I know this may seem like a stupid question, but why don’t we produce our own medicine? It would certainly make economic sense for the NHS to have its own pharmaceutical factory, making all generic medicines available for its own use.
Phillip Clayton
London