Britain is facing a drug shortage that could leave millions of people without access to basic medication, a report has warned.
Pharmacists said there were shortages of almost every major type of medicine – including painkillers, contraceptives and diabetes tablets.
The list included common painkillers, blood pressure pills and hormone replacement therapy (HRT), typically used to support those experiencing menopause symptoms.
The poll by Chemist + Druggist said almost half of pharmacy teams were spending more than an hour a day trying to source medicines by calling GPs and wholesalers.
Pharmacists said they were living "on a knife-edge" due to the mass shortages, which were caused by a perfect storm of manufacturing problems.
Dr Farah Jameel, a GP from the British Medical Association, called for "urgent action" and said shortages were "gradually getting worse".
What medications are running low?
- Diuretics
- Anti-arrhythmic drugs
- Beta-adrenoceptor blocking drugs
- Antihypertensive drugs
- Anticoagulants
- Antipsychotic drugs
- Corticosteroids
- Laxatives
- Calcium-channel blocking drugs
- Nitrates
- Sympathomimetics
- Antiplatelet drugs
- Lipid-regulating drugs
- Bronchodilators
- Antihistamines
-
Cough preparations
-
Nasal decongestants
- Hypnotics and anxiolytics
- Antidepressant drugs
- Analgesics
- Antiepileptic drugs
- Drugs used in alcohol, nicotine o…
- Antibacterial drugs
- Antifungal drugs
- Antiviral drugs
- Antidiabetic drugs
- Contraceptives
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory…
- Rubefacients, topical NSAIDS, or…
- Anti-infective eye preparations
- Emollient and barrier preparations
- Topical corticosteroids
- Immunological products and…
- Dressings
- Appliances
- Hormone replacement therapy
Some 84 per cent of the 402 pharmacy workers surveyed said they had experienced shortages of HRT in the past six months.
Two thirds said they had been hit by shortages of contraceptive pills and more than half said they had run out of painkilling creams at some point. More than a fifth said they had faced diabetes drugs’ shortages.
The nationwide survey revealed a shortfall was reported across all 36 major categories of medicines.
Those included statins, antidepressants, eye drops, wound dressings and decongestants.
The shortages were most severe for HRT, which hundreds of thousands rely on to relieve menopause symptoms.
Antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs were also in short supply.
Dr Jameel said: "Practices often won’t know that a drug is in short supply until patients return from the pharmacy, and these extra GP appointments can dramatically add to their already burgeoning workload – as well as distressing patients by delaying their treatment."
One pharmacist Kevin Cahill told Mirror Money that access to medication had been in a steady decline since 2015.
"Medicines shortages have always been a problem however since 2015 we have seen a steady increase in the number of lines that are not available year on year," he said.
"This peaked in November 2017 with 91 lines unavailable and has stayed around this number since.
"Shortages are occurring more frequently both in UK and globally. This is due to a variety of reasons including but not limited to an increase in global demand, the increase in cost and availability of raw materials, fluctuations in exchange rates and some manufactures discontinuing unprofitable medication lines."
But he said, for patients in the community, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) had procedures in place in case of ‘serious’ shortages.
He said medication-specific Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs) could be invoked, which set out exactly what actions pharmacists could take without having to refer patients back to their GP.
"This will allow the pharmacist to supply an alternative quantity, strength or pharmaceutical form (i.e. capsules instead of tablets) of an out of stock medication or in exceptional circumstances a therapeutic or generic equivalent as a stop gap. However, the details on how SSPs will be used is still a little vague."
Another pharmacist who took part in the survey said their team was "barely coping. We are on a knife-edge".
Thomas Cox, from Chemist and Druggist, said: "The findings reflect the daily struggle community pharmacy teams across the UK face to source medicines for their patients, with the overwhelming majority of our readers telling us the problem is getting worse.
"It suggests that almost half of pharmacy teams now spend more than an hour every day trying to source medicines by calling GPs and wholesalers.
"Every shortage takes up valuable time as pharmacy teams trying to locate stock from suppliers or contact a patient’s GP to agree on an alternative medicine. This puts additional pressures on these hardworking healthcare professionals, as well as causing understandable frustration for patients.
A Department of Health spokesman said: "We fully understand the concerns of those who require medications in their daily lives and want to reassure them that we are doing everything appropriate so they can access the medicines they need."
The Department of Health denied concerns that supply issues were tied to Brexit .
