UK MEDICINE SHORTAGES REACH ALARMING LEVELS, BREXIT BLAMED

Fri 19 April 2024:

Brexit is making an already grim situation worse for medicine shortages in the UK, according to a research released on Thursday by a health think tank, Anadolu Agency reported.

The study, written by Mark Dayan, the Nuffield Trust’s head for the Brexit initiative, presents a concerning image of a healthcare system struggling with a “new normal” of scarce access to necessary medications.

The results highlight a sharp increase in the shortage of essential medications, posing serious problems for pharmacists, doctors, the National Health Service (NHS), and most importantly, patients.

According to the report, the number of warnings issued by drug companies on impending supply issues has more than doubled, surging from 648 in 2020 to a staggering 1,634 last year alone.

Dayan expressed deep concern over the unprecedented rise in medicine shortages.

“The rise in shortages of vital medicines from rare to commonplace has been a shocking development that few would have expected a decade ago. More and more patients across the UK are experiencing a pharmacist telling them that their medication is not available, it may not be available soon, and it may not be available anywhere nearby,” he said.

He also said Brexit added several additional problems, with products no longer flowing as smoothly across the borders with the EU.

“In the long term our struggles to approve as many medicines might mean we have fewer alternatives available,” he said.

Particularly alarming is the persistent scarcity of drugs vital for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), type 2 diabetes, and epilepsy, which have plagued the healthcare landscape since last year.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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