Medicines shortages

Medicine shortages are ‘national security issue’, says Lords committee report

The House of Lords Public Services Committee also recommended that medicines supply risks should be added to the National Risk Register, which outlines the most serious risks facing the UK…

Health news round-up: vaccinations off-site, child health and medicines shortages

A weekly summary of important developments in health news that you may have missed.…

Aspirin added to list of medicines that cannot be exported from UK or hoarded

The list contains medicines that have evidence or risk of critical shortages, which could adversely impact UK patients.…

Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists recommends ‘ring-fencing’ diamorphine stock amid supply issues

Medicine supply alerts sent in December 2025 and January 2026 have requested that prescribers switch to morphine sulphate 10mg/1mL injections, where possible.…

Health news round-up: winter pressures, weight-loss resolutions and well being for the new year and beyond

A weekly summary of important developments in health news that you may have missed and what we can expect going into 2026.…

Medicines shortages picture improving, government says

Health minister Zubir Ahmed told the House of Lords Public Services Committee's inquiry into medicines security that shortages observed in the first half of 2025 are much lower compared with the previous year.…

NICE threshold increase must not hit generics market, Lords told

In a letter sent to Baroness Morris, pharmacy leaders recommended a review of the role of drug tariff pricing and retained margins to lower the number of medicines supplied to the NHS at a loss.…

Community pharmacists should be able to amend prescriptions, says RPS

In response to a government consultation on offering greater dispensing flexibilities for community pharmacists, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society noted that pharmacists in Scotland can already do this without comparative increases in prescribing costs.…

All hospital pharmacists faced critical medicine shortage in 2024, survey finds

The European Association of Hospital Pharmacists’ 2025 shortages survey received responses from 859 hospital pharmacists across 36 countries, 21 of whom were based in the UK.…

Vaccine supply overhaul needed to support expanding pharmacy programmes

The Pharmacy Vaccinations Development Group recommended that any proposed NHS supply models must take into consideration the impacts of changes to the supply chains of well-established private vaccination services.…