Is YOUR prescription in danger of running out? As pharmacists warn of running out of supplies, the definitive guide to affected medications

Pharmacists have warned that a shortage of common medicines is putting patients at risk, with shelves for medicines from HRT to diabetes left empty. But is your prescription at risk? See our definitive guide below…

How many products are experiencing a supply shortage?

An “out of stock” bulletin sent by wholesalers to pharmacies and shared exclusively with the Post shows that there are currently 70 products that are currently out of stock or in limited supply. These include hormone replacement therapies (HRT) and medications for ADHD, diabetes and epilepsy.

The list shows that while manufacturers hope to have some products back in stock by the end of the month, it is unlikely that some products will be back on shelves until December. Worryingly, others are stated as having ‘no availability date’.

How widespread is the problem and how dangerous is it?

A recent survey of 1,650 people by patient watchdog Healthwatch England found that 24 percent were unable to get prescribed medicines because their pharmacy was empty.

Dr. Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, said: ‘As pharmacists we are concerned that shortages of some of these medicines are impacting on patient safety by affecting their treatment, and in some cases causing delays in their treatment , or, as some patients report, their symptoms return when they can’t get their medications.”

What can patients do if they cannot get their medicine?

Dr. Hannbeck told the Mail that pharmacists did their best to source medicines but regularly found that all wholesalers had sold out of some items.

She added: ‘Patients can visit different pharmacies to find their medicine, but if they don’t get it, they will have to return to their doctor to ask for a new prescription for an alternative medicine.

‘They should not be tempted to go to illegitimate sources online as these can be dangerous.

‘The government must solve these problems and change regulations so that pharmacists can replace some products themselves.

‘For example, it’s strange that we can’t give customers 10 mg tablets and tell them to take two when a doctor has prescribed one 20 mg tablet and we run out of tablets. A simple change in regulations would save pharmacists, patients and GPs time.’

What causes the shortages?

Dr. Hannbeck said they are fueled by a “broken” supply chain, unable to cope when demand for a drug rises or a factory experiences production problems.

Alwyn Fortune, policy and engagement lead for Wales at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said the reasons for shortages are ‘wide and varied’ and could be due to ‘production issues, missing key ingredients and global demand putting pressure on supplies’ .

When doctors switch patients from the product in short supply to alternatives, it has a domino effect, leading to shortages of other medicines of the same type.

Celebrity-backed campaigns around menopause have led to a rise in demand for HRT, and some products have seen production delays.

NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care published a National Patient Safety Alert earlier this month regarding a shortage of ‘glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists’.

The range of drugs help control blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes, but there is a wave of doctors prescribing them to people who don’t have the disease but want to use the jabs to promote weight loss.

An increase in the number of ADHD diagnoses has also put pressure on the supply of medications that treat the condition.