Sheer scale of medicine shortages laid bare in report
The report highlights the severe impact of these shortages on individuals with conditions such as ADHD, menopause, and diabetes.
Surveys revealed that over 90 per cent of pharmacists, GPs, and prescribers reported shortages of ADHD medicines, with significant impacts also noted for HRT, diabetes drugs, and antibiotics.
The APPG calls for urgent action, including better support and information for patients, and for medicine security to be treated as a core component of NHS planning.
The Department of Health and Social Care acknowledges global supply problems and states it has measures in place to mitigate disruption and build supply chain resilience.
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Telegraph
4 minutes ago
- Telegraph
The current testing system for prostate cancer is failing too many men
SIR – Congratulations on your campaign (Leading Article, July 26) for a targeted screening programme for prostate cancer. My own diagnosis earlier this year made me realise that a national screening test is urgently needed. I was (and still am) asymptomatic, and have no known family history. I requested a PSA test from my GP following a chance meeting with an acquaintance who had recently been diagnosed with localised advanced prostate cancer – he had originally decided against a test, but was persuaded after learning of Sir Chris Hoy's experience. I am now being treated for localised advanced (high risk) prostate cancer. Your reports of men having to request a PSA test from their GP several times, even with symptoms, are appalling. A friend of a family member had a similar experience. He had experienced typical symptoms and went to see his GP, who gave him various blood and other tests, but notably not a PSA test. Having sought a second opinion privately, he was then diagnosed with prostate cancer, which has spread throughout his body. I know men who have received an unenthusiastic response from their GP; other men are completely ignorant of the cancer and its symptoms. The status quo is a disaster for men. I fully support your campaign and your call for better training and awareness for GPs. Geoff Stevens Harrogate, North Yorkshire SIR – I was repeatedly refused the PSA test by GPs on the grounds that the test was too sensitive and unreliable. I eventually managed to persuade a GP to comply, but only because I refused to be placed on statins, which were to be prescribed for no other reason than my age. The results of the test were elevated but, after treatment, at least I am now one of those who will die with, hopefully not of, prostate cancer. The worst irony of my experience was the revelation, from the nurse specialist who took my family history, that because my mother and maternal grandmother had both died of breast cancer, I was in a higher risk category. Had I known this, I might have convinced previous GPs to test my PSA earlier and maybe even qualified for prostatectomy, like younger friends and relatives with whom I have compared notes, thereby avoiding the unpleasant side effects of radiotherapy. Dermod Malley Halstead, Essex SIR – All men need to be tested for prostate cancer. My husband had no signs or symptoms, but we had lost a friend to the disease, so our enlightened GP ordered a PSA test which indicated that my husband, then 55, had a problem. Our son has been tested since he was 45 years old. My husband and his specialist fought it for 22 years but sadly he lost his battle in 2019. Marilla Blenkin Ashford, Kent
The Guardian
4 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Demand for weight loss drugs is becoming unsustainable, say pharmacists
Demand for weight loss drugs is becoming so 'unsustainable' that demand may soon outstrip supply, pharmacists have warned. The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) said supply problems could encourage people to turn to unregulated online sources, despite the risks involved. The number of people in the UK using drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro has soared to well above a million, with most patients paying to get them privately. During April, 1.6m packs of Mounjaro and Wegovy were bought in Britain, with the number thought to correlate closely with the number of people using them. 'Spiralling demand for weight loss medication risks going far beyond what is clinically deliverable', the NPA said. The drugs might need to be reserved for those in greatest need because they are so overweight instead of being given to the 'worried well', it added. New polling has found that 21% of Britons have tried to get hold of the medications over the past year, a figure that rises to 35% among 18- to 34-year-olds. The same survey found that 41% of all age groups would use them if they were free on the NHS. This figure rose to 64% among those aged 25-34. Savanta interviewed a representative sample of 2,002 adults aged 18 or over online from 20-23 June for the NPA, which represents 6,000 independent pharmacies. 'Weight loss jabs are one of the biggest drug innovations this century but growing demand for weight loss treatment highlights the need to make sure this is appropriate for those who want it,' said Olivier Picard, the NPA's chair. 'It's clear from this polling that more people are interested in getting weight loss jabs than can benefit from weight loss medication.' Supply of the medicines has been hit by shortages in some parts of the UK, including for higher doses of Mounjaro, the NPA said. Supply has been restricted to some pharmacies, which has stopped some new patients from going on to the drugs. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the UK's drugs watchdog, has warned patients to obtain the drugs only with a doctor's prescription, and not from beauty parlours or websites. A Department of Health spokesperson said more people would be able to obtain 'revolutionary' weight loss jabs over the next few years. 'Weight loss drugs are a powerful tool in tackling the obesity crisis head-on as part of our 10-year health plan', they added. 'This government is committed to ensuring that more people have access to these revolutionary drugs when needed, and crucially that they are able to do so in a safe and controlled way. We will ensure that those most in need will receive treatment first.' About 220,000 people in England are due to be offered tirzepatide, a diabetes drug that promotes weight loss, over the next three years. Pharmacies already provide about 85% of all weight loss drugs and need to be closely involved in the expansion of access, Picard added. 'The government should use the massive untapped expertise and skills of pharmacists to help speed up the NHS's weight loss medication programme to millions of the most in need patients,' he said.
The Sun
4 minutes ago
- The Sun
Warning fat jab supplies could run out as demand surges with 1 in 5 people trying to buy them last year
FAT jab supplies could run out — with one in five people trying to buy them last year. Pharmacists warn that ballooning demand 'goes far beyond what is clinically deliverable'. Millions of Brits are thought to be using fat-busting jabs such as Wegovy, Mounjaro and Ozempic. A poll for the National Pharmacy Association found one in five people, 21 per cent, attempted to buy a fat jab from a pharmacy in the past year. The figure shoots up to 35 per cent among 25 to 34-year-olds. NPA chairman Olivier Picard said: 'It's clear from this polling that many more people are interested in getting weight-loss jabs than would actually be suitable for treatment. ' Weight-loss jabs are one of the biggest drug innovations this century but we want to make sure supplies are carefully managed so that those in most need can benefit. 'We're also urging the Government to bring forward plans to include pharmacies in the roll-out of their NHS weight management programme.' The NHS has increased its roll-out of fat jabs by offering Mounjaro through GP practices, but only 220,000 people are likely to get it by 2028. It could take 12 years to reach everyone who is eligible, so millions are expected to buy them privately. But experts fear such strict access will drive patients to dodgy online sellers who put their health at risk. The poll also found 41 per cent said they would get the jabs on the NHS if they could, even if they were not obese. Watch Ellen's weight loss journey on fat jabs Rules on online prescribing have been tightened to prevent people pretending to be heavier than they are to quality. The injections cause the body to burn fat by turning off hunger signals and stopping you eating. Prescriptions in England for Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy rocketed from 1.4million in 2023-24 to 2.7million last year.
