Patients struggle to find life-saving statins as pharmacies run out of cholesterol-lowering drugs and prices rise
- Eight million Britons rely on statins to lower cholesterol and prevent strokes
- Atorvastatin prices have risen from 49 pence to around £5.30 in the past six weeks
Statins are in short supply across the country and pharmacists face a ‘desperate’ battle to get the life-saving drugs.
Nearly eight million Britons rely on statins to lower their cholesterol levels, which in turn reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
But atorvastatin, the most popular statin prescribed by the NHS, is missing from many chemists nationwide.
Community Pharmacy England, the representative body for pharmacy owners, raised the alarm after being warned by its members that they could not access the stock of the daily tablet.
“They are desperately trying to get hold of a limited supply,” a spokesman added.
Nearly eight million Britons rely on statins to lower their cholesterol levels, which in turn reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes
The shortage has led to rising prices, with the cost of a pack of atorvastatin rising from 49 pence to around £5.30 in the past six weeks. This means that many pharmacies cannot afford to buy the drug, although they will eventually be reimbursed by the NHS
The shortage has led to rising prices, with the cost of a pack of atorvastatin rising from 49 pence to around £5.30 in the past six weeks. This means that many pharmacies cannot afford to buy the drug, although they will eventually be reimbursed by the NHS.
“This is an incredibly frustrating situation for patients and pharmacists,” said Leyla Hannbeck, managing director of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies. ‘Patients are prescribed a certain statin, so a pharmacist can’t just hand out an alternative, patients have to go back to their GP for a new prescription. This slows down the time it takes for patients to access a critical drug.”
Britain has been struggling with a drug shortage for more than a year. In February, The Mail on Sunday revealed that an unprecedented 70 commonly used medicines were temporarily out of stock, including antibiotics, HRT medicines and painkillers.
These shortages have historically been associated with an increased demand for medicines. But the struggle to obtain atorvastatin is thought to be related to the slow rate at which drugs pass through customs into the UK.
“This has always been a very popular drug, so there hasn’t been a spike in demand,” Ms Hannbeck said.
“There is clearly something very wrong with the supply chain of medicines coming into this country.
“It’s a mess that costs taxpayers money and the government needs to fix it.”