Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Drug shortages in UK worsened after Brexit: Report

National Pharmacy Association chief executive Paul Rees says medicine shortages have become “commonplace” and it is unacceptable in any modern health system

Drug shortages in UK worsened after Brexit: Report

Patients in the UK and European Union are facing shortages of vital medicines such as antibiotics and epilepsy medication, research published Thursday found.

The report by Britain's Nuffield Trust think-tank found the situation had become a "new normal" in the UK and was "also having a serious impact in EU countries".


Mark Dayan, Brexit programme lead at the Nuffield Trust think-tank, said Britain's decision to leave the European Union had not caused UK supply problems but had exacerbated them.

"We know many of the problems are global and relate to fragile chains of imports from Asia, squeezed by Covid-19 shutdowns, inflation, and global instability," he said.

"But exiting the EU has left the UK with several additional problems – products no longer flow as smoothly across the borders with the EU, and in the long term our struggles to approve as many medicines might mean we have fewer alternatives available,” he said.

Researchers also warned that being outside the EU might mean Britain is unable to benefit from EU measures taken to tackle shortages, such as bringing drug manufacturing back to Europe.

It said that this included the EU's Critical Medicines Alliance which it launched in early 2024.

Analysis of freedom of information requests and public data on drug shortages showed the number of notifications from drug companies warning of impending shortages in the UK had more than doubled in three years.

Some 1,634 alerts were issued in 2023, up from 648 in 2020, according to the report, The Future for Health After Brexit.

Paul Rees, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), said medicine shortages had become "commonplace", adding that this was "totally unacceptable in any modern health system.

"Supply shortages are a real and present danger to those patients who rely on life-saving medicines for their wellbeing," he said.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said the UK was not alone in facing medical supply issues.

It said most cases of shortages had been "swiftly managed with minimal disruption to patients". (AFP)

More For You

New body led by Sir Sajid Javid aims to amplify ‘unheard’ voices
Sajid Javid

New body led by Sir Sajid Javid aims to amplify ‘unheard’ voices

A NEW independent commission to improve cohesion would engage across all nations and regions of the UK by moving beyond Westminster-centric discussions and include more diverse voices, the director of British Future thinktank has said.

Sunder Katwala said building confidence across different groups will be a priority, as economic pressures and tensions due to Middle East conflict have polarised communities in the UK.

Keep ReadingShow less
Yarl’s-Wood-detention-centre-Getty

In 2018, she was detained at Yarl’s Wood detention centre after being told she would be deported. (Photo: Getty Images)

Court awards £100,000 to Pakistani asylum seeker over unlawful detention

A PAKISTANI asylum seeker has been awarded nearly £100,000 after a UK court ruled that she was unlawfully detained and subjected to breaches of her rights by the Home Office.

Nadra Almas, who arrived in the UK on a student visa in 2004, overstayed after her visa expired. She argued that returning to Pakistan would put her at risk as a Christian.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pakistan court gives unusual punishment to Youtuber Rajab Butt for owning lion cub

Pakistani zookeeper Mohammad Amir holds the confiscated lion cub at Lahore’s safari zoo last Tuesday (28)

Pakistan court gives unusual punishment to Youtuber Rajab Butt for owning lion cub

A PAKISTANI YouTube star who was gifted a lion cub on his wedding day avoided jail after promising a judge to upload animal rights videos for a year.

Rajab Butt has one of the largest online followings in south Asia, and his week-long nuptials in December were plastered over celebrity gossip websites.

Keep ReadingShow less
Theft and violence in retail shops hit record high in 2024

The Labour government has pledged to address the rise in retail crime through stronger measures to tackle shoplifting and anti-social behaviour

iStock

Theft and violence in retail shops hit record high in 2024

THEFT and violence against retail workers in Britain soared to record levels last year, driven partly by criminal gangs, and are “out of control”, according to a report last Thursday (30).

The British Retail Consortium's annual crime survey found that more than 20 million thefts occurred in the year to August 31, 2024 – an average of 55,000 a day – costing retailers £2.2 billion.

Keep ReadingShow less
33 Gujaratis deported from US land in Ahmedabad

Indian immigrants who allegedly illegally migrated to the US arrive at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, in Ahmedabad. (ANI Photo)

33 Gujaratis deported from US land in Ahmedabad

A PLANE carrying 33 people from Gujarat, who were among 104 Indians deported from the US for illegal immigration, landed at Ahmedabad airport from Amritsar on Thursday (6) morning, officials said.

Soon after their arrival, the 33 immigrants, including some children and women, were transported to their native places in Gujarat in police vehicles, assistant commissioner of police, 'G' division, R D Oza said.

Keep ReadingShow less