Pharmacist says drug shortage 'worst I have known'

Some people living with heart conditions, stroke risks, eye infections and bipolar disorder are among those unable to get the medications they rely on, a pharmacist has said.

Graham Jones, who owns Shrivenham Pharmacy in Oxfordshire, said vital medication like aspirin was harder to obtain because of surging global prices and government funding which was not keeping up with costs.

Jones said the current medication shortage was the "worst I've ever known".

A government spokesperson said it had "established processes to respond to sudden market price increases" and it would "help ensure pharmacies can continue to obtain medicines for patients".

Gillian-Ann Wordsworth, 84, takes Apixaban to prevent and treat blood clots for her heart condition.

In recent weeks it has been out of stock and Wordsworth has been put on an alternative medication.

She said: "They can't get the Apixaban, so I was without medication all day Saturday. It's all a bit worrying because after all, it is the heart at the end of the day."

Jones said: "A lot of very commonly used medications have gone into short supply in a very short period of time."

He added that, as well as international problems exacerbating the shortages, "the drugs budget is simply too small".

Currently the NHS pays pharmacies a fixed price for each medicine it dispenses.

Pharmacies then have to try and source the drug for that amount, or less.

But when the price goes above what the NHS pays, the medication is placed on the government's price concessions list.

Last month, the list hit a record high with 210 named medications on it.

Pharmacy owners will usually be reimbursed for drugs on the list at the new price.

However, when market prices rise suddenly - often above the original tariff and even above the concession price offered - pharmacies end up dispensing medication at a loss.

Jones said this happens all the time.

"A high volume medication we dispense a lot of is Apixaban, we're currently getting paid circa £3 for that medication [from the NHS], it's costing us £6…it's a difficult situation," he explained.

He said it makes it harder for pharmacies to buy enough stock for all of their patients and increases the chance that people will face delays or sudden shortages.

Jones' wife Julie Jones works alongside him in the pharmacy and said the pair do everything in their power to try and get patients the medication they need.

She said: "We usually spend two hours every evening trying to source the drugs or a suitable alternative because of the shortages."

Jones said it wouldn't surprise him if the shortages lead on to stockpiling.

"We're not seeing it yet but I would anticipate over the next month or so patients are going to say 'right, I just need to make sure I've got a supply in' and that's going to put even more pressure to keep supplies flowing," he said.

A spokesperson at the Department of Health and Social Care said: "The vast majority of licensed medicines are in good supply and we are working hard to keep it that way.

"We have established processes to respond to sudden market price increases of medicines.

"This includes adjusting reimbursement prices based on current market conditions, which helps ensure that pharmacies can continue to obtain medicines for their patients."