News | Medicines shortages

Feature

Will reshoring medicines manufacturing solve shortages in the UK?

In the United States and some European countries, drug manufacturing is being brought home to mitigate shortages of critical medicines, but would similar action in the UK shore up supply resilience?…

Published: 7 November 2024

News

Government advises chief pharmacists to coordinate aid between trusts amid radioisotope shortage

According to a national patient safety alert issued on 25 October 2024, the radioisotope shortage stems from a combination of technical issues and essential maintenance work.…

Published: 4 November 2024

News

Manufacturer confirms discontinuation of type 2 diabetes mellitus treatment Victoza

Victoza (liraglutide) 6mg/mL pre-filled injection pens have been out of stock in the UK since August 2023.…

Published: 21 October 2024

News

BGMA recommends longer lead times on NHS medicines contracts to address shortages

The British Generic Manufacturers Association has made several recommendations to reduce overall medicines shortages, of which it says the “vast majority are commonly used generic medicines”.…

Published: 4 October 2024

Opinion

Pharmacy teams should be integral to humanitarian organisations

Why humanitarian pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are crucial for the global management of medicines and health technologies.…

Published: 18 September 2024

News

Pharmacy organisations sign up to ‘Medicines to Gaza’ campaign

Following on from the success of the ‘Medicines to Ukraine’ model, which raised £4.5m, the Pharmacists’ Defence Association announced the new Gaza scheme at the International Pharmaceutical Federation Congress in Cape Town on 3 September 2024.…

Published: 11 September 2024

Opinion

Martin Sawer: ‘NHS hospitals owe wholesalers millions of pounds in overdue invoices’

Here, Martin Sawer, executive director of the Healthcare Distribution Association, explains how wholesalers are part of the ‘critical infrastructure’ of UK healthcare, but the industry faces several challenges.…

Published: 4 September 2024

News

One-third of adult social care providers say medicines support from community pharmacy has improved over past year

Respondents to the Care Quality Commission survey said they typically received advice from community pharmacy on medicines side effects, over-the-counter medicine and safe medicines administration.…

Published: 3 September 2024

News

More than 10,000 whooping cough cases reported in first six months of 2024

Case numbers of whooping cough in 2024 so far have already exceeded the total number of cases reported in 2012, the last major outbreak of the disease.…

Published: 13 August 2024

News

Seven in ten pharmacists say medicines shortages have put patients at risk in past six months

Exclusive: Responding to a survey of 1,265 UK-based pharmacists working in all sectors, 861 answered ‘Yes’ when asked if medicines shortages have put patients at risk “in the past six months”.…

Published: 19 July 2024