Drug shortage threatens UK patients' life

Labour MP for Ogmore, Huw Irranca-Davies, has called for action to be taken as medicine shortages are occurring due to an increasing number of lucrative exports to other European countries.

Irranca-Davies said that the quota system, supposedly being flexible enough, had failed and urged the British government to give NHS patients priority over exports.

A woman in Irranca-Davies’ constituency said she was told the breast cancer drug that was prescribed to her was out of stock and other chemists were contacted without success.

Irranca-Davies also said that doctors and chemists were spending up to 20 hours a week in search for commonly prescribed drugs, while patients were at risk of not receiving their medicine.

"What we now have is chemists and doctors - even doctors in hospital as well as GPs - who are spending on average five hours a week on the phone ringing round to get hold of a pack of drugs for something which should be available around the corner in your local chemist”, Irranca-Davies said.

Even drugs to treat Alzheimer’s disease and cancer were among commonly-prescribed medicines which patients faced difficulty to find.

British MPs’ inquiry into medicine shortage showed that the export of medicines intended for NHS patients to other EU countries has caused the problem. The significance of quotas being introduced is to control the amount of drugs set aside for the NHS, but instead, it appears to be amplifying the problem.