Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what action they plan to take to resolve the shortages of more than 100 medicines, as reported by the British Generic Manufacturers Association.

Medicine supply problems can occur for several reasons. For example, they can be due to manufacturing difficulties, regulatory problems, problems with the supply of raw materials, sudden demand spikes or from issues which are related to the distribution of the product. The production of medicines is complex and highly regulated, and materials and processes must meet rigorous safety and quality standards. Occasionally, the National Health Service experiences temporary shortages of specific medicines.

We know how frustrating and distressing the possibility of shortages can be and we acknowledge that there have been challenges recently with access to a limited number of medicines. We want to assure patients that the Department has well-established processes to prevent, manage and mitigate medicine shortages and works with the pharmaceutical industry, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, NHS England, the devolved governments and others operating in the supply chain to help ensure patients have access to the treatments they need.

The Department routinely shares information about medicine supply issues directly with the NHS so they can put management plans in place to mitigate the risk of the shortage impacting patients and inform their patients about what it might mean for them. If any patient is concerned about their treatment, they should discuss this with their pharmacist or general practitioner.