Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what contingency plans are in place in the event of a licensed medicine becoming unavailable owing to temporary shortage.

There is a team within the Department which deals specifically with medicine supply problems, both in the community and hospitals. It works closely with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the pharmaceutical industry, NHS England and others operating in the supply chain to help prevent shortages and to ensure that the risks to patients are minimised when they do arise.

This work is underpinned by joint Departmental/pharmaceutical industry best practice guidelines which give advice to companies on what to do in the event of a shortage. In the event of a shortage, the Department will explore the available options for continued supply, which might include: investigating alternative supplies, expediting regulatory decisions, commissioning clinical advice and ensuring that appropriate communications channels are in place to alert health care professionals. Many potential shortages are resolved before they can have an impact on pharmacies or patients.

The Department also holds an Essential Medicines Buffer Stockpile, which is in place to make the supply chain more robust for key medicines in the event of a pandemic or other emergency.