UK drug shortages swell amid Brexit supply woes, think-tank data shows

UK drug shortages escalate due to Brexit-related supply challenges, as indicated by data from a think-tank. The departure from the EU disrupts pharmaceutical supply chains, exacerbating existing shortages. This highlights the urgent need for strategic solutions to mitigate the impact on healthcare provision and ensure access to vital medications.

April 18 (Reuters) - A report released by the Nuffield Trust think-tank on Thursday reveals a troubling trend: drug shortages in the UK have more than doubled from 2020 to 2023. Brexit is cited as a factor likely to "significantly weaken" the country's capacity to address supply chain disruptions. According to the research, drug companies issued 1,643 warnings of impending medicine shortages in 2023, a stark increase from 648 warnings in 2020, coinciding with Britain's departure from the European Union (EU).

Rising shortages, spanning crucial treatments like antibiotics and epilepsy medications, have compelled the government to increasingly reimburse pharmacies for procuring drugs above standard costs. According to the report titled "The future for health after Brexit," this trend is underscored by a notable surge in price concessions, soaring from 20 instances per month pre-2016 to a peak of 199 per month by late 2022.

While drug scarcities have surged across the U.S. and Europe in recent times, Britain faces heightened vulnerability, attributed in part to Brexit. The devaluation of the sterling and the UK's departure from EU supply chains have compounded the risk, intensifying challenges in ensuring consistent drug supply.

The report further attributes the exacerbation of shortages to shifts in demand patterns resulting from prescription practices among UK doctors and constrained budgets within the National Health Service (NHS).

Mark Dayan, the Brexit Programme Lead at Nuffield Trust, commented on the global nature of these challenges, citing fragile import chains from Asia affected by COVID-19 shutdowns, inflation, and global instability.

The UK's departure from the EU has introduced several new challenges, including disruptions to the flow of products across EU borders and potential limitations in the approval of medicines, leading to a reduction in available alternatives over time.

According to the report, the UK has lagged behind the EU in approving new drugs. Out of all drug approvals in 2023, 56 medications authorized in Europe received approval later in the UK. Notably, eight drugs have not been approved in the UK at all, while only four were approved more quickly than in the EU.

Source: Reuters