Supply chain

‘Not enough’ cold-chain storage to ensure no deal Brexit medicines supply, MPs told

There are not enough cold-chain warehouses in the UK to ensure the supply of medicines, such as insulin or vaccines, in the event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit, and it could take up to a year to build new ones, MPs have heard.…

MPs say no reason to change flu vaccine procurement system

MPs on the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee say they have confidence in the current flu vaccination procurement system and there is no reason for reform, despite numerous reports of supply shortages.…

Senior government official unable to ‘issue guarantee’ on medicines supply after no-deal Brexit

Sir Chris Wormald, permanent secretary of the Department of Health and Social Care, was unable to reassure MPs that UK patients would still get the essential medicines they need if there is a no-deal Brexit.…

Small children prioritised under emergency protocol to tackle ‘critical’ EpiPen shortage

Supplies of adrenaline auto-injectors for children are now “critical” and are being rationed with new national guidance for community pharmacists being introduced across England.…

Pharmacy minister says there is “no shortage” of flu vaccine

Pharmacy minister Steve Brine has claimed there is no flu vaccine shortage despite reports that pharmacists are having to turn older patients away because they do not have supplies of the adjuvanted trivalent vaccine (aTIV).…

GSK to move to ‘simplified’ distribution model

Pharmaceutical company GSK has announced that it will move from its current direct-to-pharmacy model to a reduced wholesaler model.…

Pharmacists face continued EpiPen shortages

Pharmacists in the UK are having to ration stocks of EpiPen, a first-line treatment for anaphylaxis, as a result of ongoing shortages.…

Fewer medicines at risk of supply disruption after Brexit as companies take action

The number of centrally authorised medicines that could have had their supply disrupted after Brexit has fallen from 108 to 39, according to the European Medicines Agency.…

ABPI backs community pharmacy’s absence from Brexit stockpiling

The head of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry has backed a decision not to involve community pharmacy in Brexit stockpiling of drugs.…

UK will take unilateral action to protect medicines supply in case of no-deal Brexit

The UK government is proposing to take unilateral action in the event of a ‘no-deal’ Brexit in order to protect the medicines supply chain, Dominic Raab, secretary of state for exiting the EU, revealed on 23 August 2018.…