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Pharmaceutical suppliers submitted fewer formal reports of medicine supply issues to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in the first half of 2026 than they did during the same period in 2025.
Figures published by the DHSC on 5 August 2026 show that the government received 687 supply issue notifications in the first six months of 2026, compared with 857 during the same period in 2025 and 1,013 in 2024. In 2025, there were around 1,400 supply issue notifications in total.
The data also highlighted that the figures recorded in 2025 were fewer than in 2024, with around 1,900 across the whole year, as well as fewer than 2022 and 2023, which saw around 1,600 notifications each year over the span of 12 months.
However, in July 2026, the number of price concessions granted by the government hit a record number for the fourth month in a row, breaching the 250 mark for the first time ever.
In April 2026, sector experts told The Pharmaceutical Journal that price concessions can be an indication of shortages in the market, which were impacted by the conflict in Iran, a “broken” reimbursement model, thin margins and funding clawbacks.
But Henry Gregg, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association said: “These statistics are missing certain key measures on medicine supply… They do not chime with the ongoing realities that are facing pharmacies and their patients, who are battling every day to source medicines due to ongoing supply problems.”
Commenting on the supply issue reports, Robert Russell‑Pavier, director of economics and policy at Medicines UK, said: “We monitor supply issues monthly using NHS data and, for the past year, the number of shortages has broadly plateaued at around 70 out of approximately 3,500 products. While every shortage matters, this does show that overall supply issues remain relatively limited.
“In contrast, the number of concessionary prices has risen sharply in the first half of 2026. From our perspective, there are good levels of stock in the market, and this divergence points to economic shortages rather than genuine unavailability of medicines.
“Prices were at record lows last year, and even today around 60% of treatments cost less than £1 for a month’s supply. With business costs rising — including energy and transport pressures linked to the Iran conflict — only so much can be absorbed before medicines prices inevitably increase.
“This may be contributing to the higher levels of concessionary prices, as pharmacy reimbursement margins are being squeezed. The increased funding in the new community pharmacy agreement should help ease some of this pressure.
“Concessionary prices are an important lever for relieving economic strain, but when they reach such high levels it signals a system under pressure — and it can worsen the issue by reducing the margin available for other products.
“We are working with the government to increase the frequency of actual sales data reporting from quarterly to monthly. This will provide a more real‑time picture of market conditions, support better analysis of emerging issues and reduce the need for reactive interventions.”
James Davies, director of research and insights at Community Pharmacy England (CPE), said: “Whilst the data shows a small reduction in the number of supply issues notified to the DHSC compared to same period last year, the medicines supply situation in England has remained under significant pressure, with persistent pricing and supply issues affecting a range of therapeutic areas.
“Pharmacies continue to report increasing difficulties sourcing medicines and concerns about reimbursement to CPE. This is reflected in record levels of price concessions granted by the government, which more than doubled compared with the same period last year.
“Pharmacies on the ground have not felt any easing of supply issues, with management of shortages continuing to be complex and time-consuming for all involved. Our 2026 pharmacy pressures survey found that 86% of pharmacies are spending more time sourcing medicines than they did a year ago, with 72% of pharmacy team members reporting that patients are affected by medicines shortages on a daily basis.
“Pharmacy teams have helped to ensure that overall medicines supply system remains functional, and most prescriptions continue to be dispensed to patient and the public, but shortages are lasting longer, costs are rising, and the operational burden on pharmacies has increased, putting more pressure on pharmacy teams than ever before. This further demonstrates the need for reform of the medicines supply system,” he added.
Malcolm Harrison, chief executive of the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA), said: “Supply issues and discontinuations remain a significant challenge for the whole supply chain, and especially for patients who cannot access the medicines they need.
“Over the past two decades, successive governments have significantly driven down the price they pay for medicines, making the UK a less attractive market globally. Ultimately, sustained investment in medicines pricing and community pharmacy is required to build resilience and protect patient access to medicines.
“The CCA has recently established the Medicines Supply Resilience Group, bringing together representatives from across the supply chain alongside officials from the DHSC, NHS and MHRA [Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency], to identify practical steps to improve the long-term sustainability of the supply chain and protect patient access to medicines.”
The DHSC figures show that manufacturing problems remained the most commonly reported root cause of supply issues in 2025, accounting for 62% of notifications.
The data also showed that legal, regulatory, market and demand factors were reported in 37% of notifications, while logistics-related factors accounted for 5%.
The DHSC said the manufacturing problems were “wide-ranging”, as delays in the supply chain (19%), other manufacturing-related issues (17%) and raw material or packaging shortages (13%) were the most frequently reported sub-categories in 2025.
Within the legal, regulatory, market and demand category, customer demand surges (19%) and licensing or regulatory issues (8%) were the most commonly reported causes in 2025, it noted.
The DHSC has been approached for comment.
