Government secures additional PERT supply until the end of 2025 

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has said it has secured “additional volumes” of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) for 2025.

In response to a written question submitted to the Department of Health and Social Care by Jim Shannon, Democratic Unionist Party MP for Strangford, on 20 October 2025 about the availability of pancreatic cancer drugs, Zubir Ahmed, parliamentary under-secretary of state for the DHSC, said the department “is continuing to work with all suppliers of PERT to help resolve the supply issues in the short and longer term” and that it had “managed to secure additional volumes for 2025 for the UK”.

Ahmed added that the DHSC is also in regular communication with suppliers regarding expected volumes of PERT for 2026.

PERT is a medicine taken daily to aid digestion by replacing enzymes produced in the pancreas, which helps break down food, absorb nutrients and avoid bowel symptoms in people with pancreatic insufficiencies commonly observed in pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer and cystic fibrosis (CF).

In the UK, there are three PERT products available on the NHS: Creon (Viatris), Nutrizym 22 (Zentiva) and Pancrex V (Essential Pharma).

In May 2024, a national patient safety alert published by the government announced supply disruptions for all PERT brands in the UK, which is expected to last until 2026. In the safety alert, pharmacists were told to issue only one month’s supply of PERT at a time, owing to the shortages.

Ahmed said the DHSC has been in contact with “specialist importers who have sourced unlicensed stock to assist in covering the remaining gap in the market”.

The DHSC also “widely disseminated comprehensive guidance to healthcare professionals”, including NHS trusts, general practices and pharmacies with advice on how to manage patients during disruption to supply, Ahmed said.

He added that the DHSC “will continue to work closely with the manufacturers to resolve the issues as soon as possible, to ensure patients have continuous access to medicines”.

In a statement published in June 2025, manufacturer Viatris said it planned to increase supply of Creon.

“To increase capacity, a new active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) facility is being constructed at the same complex as the existing manufacturing site. Abbott has indicated that the facility will be complete and producing API available for conversion by end of 2026, producing finished product for distribution early 2027,” the statement said.

Anna Jewell, director of services, research and influencing at Pancreatic Cancer UK, said the charity had been “given reassurance that current supply levels for PERT will remain stable for the foreseeable future, until the new factory line is operational and able to meet demand”.

She added that, after speaking to people affected by pancreatic cancer, the charity believed that “supply has generally improved”, although “the situation remains difficult for many people who rely on PERT, and for the healthcare professionals prescribing and dispensing it”.

“The progress that has been made is welcome, and we are continuing to meet with the government to push for further improvements,” she added. 

In a blog published in October 2025, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust said: “The trust is continuing to work with the government to monitor the [ongoing Creon shortages] situation closely and make sure a long-term resolution is achieved and everyone with CF is able to access the pancreatic enzymes they need.

“Most people said that the shortages have eased in recent months and most importantly, the majority had managed to avoid going without enzymes. This progress has come thanks to action from the government and manufacturers, such as making other enzyme brands (like Pangrol) easier to get.”

“It’s vital that lessons are learned to prevent similar shortages, for both pancreatic enzymes and other vital medicines for people with CF,” it added.

A survey carried out by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust in November 2024 revealed that 43% of people with CF had experienced significant health problems resulting from PERT shortage.

Results from the survey of 747 people with CF and their carers and families showed that 80% of patients had experienced symptoms of stress and anxiety resulting from shortages in supply, while 8% said that they had completely run out of their medicine.