Medicine shortages ‘around double what they were a year ago’
Medicine shortages have increased and are “around double what they were a year ago”, it has been claimed.
Speaking to the Health and Social Care Committee on Monday, Mark Samuels, chief executive of the British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA), said they have been highlighting the medicine shortage risk to ministers since July 2021 and the BGMA is “very concerned about it”.
He said: “We’ve been monitoring it for several years now, and as you saw in the written evidence, shortages have increased.
“They’re around double what they were a year ago. We have them at 101 shortages in February this year.”
We've just been hearing devastating stories from people about the emotional toll it's sort of taking on them not being able to access vital medications.
The shortage of certain medications “continues to be challenging”, Dr Rick Greville, director of distribution and supply at the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), told the committee.
But when asked if the shortage is getting better or worse, he said it is “difficult to know as to whether it is increasing significantly, but certainly it’s a long-standing issue”.
Meanwhile, there is “serious concern” about the potential harm to people with diabetes due to a shortage of medication, the committee was told.
Source: Evening Standard, 20 February 2024
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