Almost half of UK adults are struggling to get prescription drugs amid shortages | health

Almost half of UK adults have struggled to take their prescribed medication – and more people blame Brexit than anything else for the situation, research shows.

Forty-nine per cent of people said they had had trouble getting a prescription in the past two years, a period during which supply problems have increased significantly.

Drug shortages are so serious that one in 12 Britons were unable to find the medicines they needed despite asking a number of pharmacies.

The survey of 2,028 people representative of the population, undertaken by Opinium for the British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA), found that:

• One in 12 people (8%) went without medication at all because it was impossible to get.

• Thirty-one percent found that the drug they needed was out of stock at their pharmacy.

• Twenty-three percent of pharmacies did not have enough medications available.

When asked why absences were so common, the most cited issues involved the UK leaving the EU (36%) rather than inflation (33%) or global conflict and instability (26%).

“Shortages are deeply concerning for the physical health of patients, in addition to the stress of not knowing whether an essential drug will be available,” said Mark Samuels, chief executive of the BGMA, which represents firms that make the generic — or off-patent — drug. drugs, which account for 80% of all drugs used by the NHS across the UK.

“Several factors are contributing to the problem and the Brexit deal is definitely one of them,” Samuels said.

“For example, medicines produced here cannot be exported to Europe, but those produced on the continent can be brought here. This gives zero incentive to increase manufacturing capacity in the UK, a capability that could help with shortages.”

The number of drugs in shortage has increased since the beginning of 2022. In January 2022, there were 52 such products, but this month the number is 100. They include HRT, antibiotics and antidepressants as well as drugs for ADHD, epilepsy, cancer, diabetes and osteoporosis.

In October 2023, there was an all-time record number of medicines in short supply – 111 – BGMA added, citing figures compiled by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). With drug supply problems a global phenomenon, some of the UK’s shortages will not end until next year.

The NHS Business Services Authority issued four “serious shortage protocol” notices last month alone. Two are linked to clarithromycin, an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections such as pneumonia, cellulitis and ear infections.

Of the 87 generic drugs that are difficult or impossible to find, 34 have been out of stock for more than six months and 23 for more than a year.

Samuels said recent governments had contributed to the problem by showing “complacency about the off-patent drug industry, despite it supplying four out of five NHS prescription drugs”.

“The next administration needs a targeted plan to encourage companies to continue to see the UK as a priority sourcing location,” he added, “otherwise the shortage situation will not improve.”