Drug supply crisis: Now patients are taken to hospital
WORSENING drug shortages are landing patients in hospital, a major survey has revealed.
One in four pharmacists say their patients have come to harm because they could not get vital medication.
According to a poll by the Pharmacists’ Defence Association, patients with epilepsy have suffered seizures because of a shortage of anti-epilepsy drugs.
Another patient was admitted to hospital with anaphylactic shock after they were not able to get epipens to keep at home. The survey of 1,000 pharmacists also found that some patients are having to go without potentially lifesaving stroke prevention pills.
Chemists claim they are ‘barely coping’ due to shortfalls in all major categories of drugs, with hormone replacement therapy, contraceptives and epilepsy pills the worst affected.
The mass shortages have been caused by a ‘perfect storm’ of manufacturing problems in the global supply chain.
It means thousands of patients are turning up at their pharmacy with a GP prescription, only to be sent home empty handed as their medication is out of stock.
The Government last month imposed a blanket ban on the export of 27 types of medication, including all HRT drugs, epipens and some blood-thinning pills. One of the pharmacists surveyed by the PDA warned the crisis has become critical and is having serious consequences on patients. Another hospital pharmacist said their large NHS Trust has had to employ staff purely to deal with the shortages.
More than 90 per cent of respondents felt the shortages had worsened over the last 12 months, and 81 per cent believe medicine shortages will get worse after a No Deal Brexit.
Staff said patients ‘asked daily if [shortages] are because of Brexit’, although there is no evidence that current low supplies are linked to leaving the EU. Alima Batchelor, of the PDA, said: ‘While these shortages cannot be ascribed to Brexit, they do show the need for concerted action to ensure that leaving the EU will not exacerbate an already unacceptable level of drug shortages.
‘We call upon the Department of Health and Social Care and the Treasury to use every avenue available to them to identify and address the causes of drug shortages and to look at rational steps which could be taken to reduce inappropriate overuse of prescribed medicines, thus reducing demand.’ A Department of Health spokesman said: ‘We are doing everything we can to help ensure they can access the treatments they need after Brexit.
‘The NHS has tried and tested ways of making sure patients get the medicines that they need. The Government, industry and NHS have put in place robust preparations for Brexit, which consist of stockpiling, securing transport and warehouse capacity and working closely with businesses on their readiness for day one.’
‘Preparations for Brexit’