'He'll be dead by then' - fears over drug shortage

A pancreatic cancer patient says he is "living day-to-day", as he struggles to get hold of medication which keeps him out of hospital.

RAF veteran David Allen, from Marton near Gainsborough, is unable to digest food without the enzyme replacement therapy Creon.

The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the drug was in short supply due to "ongoing global supply problems".

Mr Allen's wife, Maureen Allen, said one local pharmacy told them it would not have Creon in stock until 2026, prompting her to reply: "He'll be dead by then."

Mr Allen has to take four high-strength capsules with every meal, and two with a snack or milky drink, which means a box of 100 lasts less than a week.

He described the current shortage as "depressing" and "quite frightening", adding "it can get fraught when your tablets start running out and you haven't got a clue where the next supply is going to come from."

Mr and Mrs Allen said they start every day by scouring the internet and phoning pharmacists within an hour's drive of their home, trying to track down Creon, or its alternatives Pancrex and Nutrizym.

Last week, Mr Allen made a two-hour round trip to collect a 19-day supply he had found in Doncaster.

Without Creon, patients can suffer pain, extreme bloating and severe diarrhoea. Ultimately, they can become severely underweight and malnourished.

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Source: BBC News, 13 August 2024

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