Shortages Information

For Shortages Guidance January 2023 click here

The DHSC and NHSE/I Medicines Supply Tool is the key resource for all information on medicines supply issues. The link to the website is Medicines Supply Tool – SPS – Specialist Pharmacy Service – The first stop for professional medicines advice

To access the Tool, you will be required to register with the SPS website using your “hscni.net” email. You can then choose either “Community Pharmacist” or “General Medical Practitioner” under Role, and then “Other” under Organisation Type.

In the “Tool”, you will note that each medicines’ supply issue is categorised by an “impact tier”. Full information on each of these impact tiers is available at NHS England » A Guide to Managing Medicines Supply and Shortages

For the majority of tier 2, medium impact, and tier 3, high impact, a Medicines Supply Notification will be issued by DHSC and in turn, DHNI. These are listed below

For tier 1, low impact shortages, the SPS website should be accessed in order to understand how long the shortage is likely to last and to review information on alternative medications which might be available.

The Medicines Supply Tool has a search function allowing you to easily search for a particular medicine.

Parallel Exports:

A list of medicines that should not be parallel exported is available at Medicines that you cannot export from the UK or hoard – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and will be updated regularly. Medicines will be added to the list if they are needed to meet the needs of UK patients, and where parallel exporting leads, may lead, or contributes to a shortage.

Parallel export of a medicine on the list is considered a breach of regulation 43(2) of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 and a contravention of the wholesale dealer licence, and may lead to regulatory action by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) which could include immediate suspension of the wholesale dealer licence.

Fentanyl (Durogesic^® DTrans^®) 12micrograms/hour, 25micrograms/hour, 50micrograms/hour, 75micrograms/hour, and 100micrograms/hour patches 16th April 2025

Galantamine 8mg, 16mg and 24mg modified-release capsules 11th April 2025

Diltiazem (Angitil® SR) 90mg modified-release capsules 10th April 2025

Triamcinolone acetonide 10mg/ml (Adcortyl® ampoules) and 40mg/ml (Kenalog® vials) suspension for injection 10th April 2025

Estradiol (Estradot®) 50mcg, 75mcg, and 100mcg patches updated 4th April 2025

Levofloxacin 250mg and 500mg tablets 28th March 2025

Apraclonidine (Iopidine^®) 5mg/ml (0.5%) eye drops 28th March 2025

Megestrol (Megace®) 160mg tablets 25th March 2025

NATIONAL PATIENT SAFETY ALERT – DISCONTINUATION OF PROMIXIN (COLISTIMETHATE) 1-MILLION-UNIT POWDER FOR NEBULISER SOLUTION UNIT DOSE VIALS 18th March 2025

MEDICINE SUPPLY NOTIFICATION – DESMOPRESSIN 10MCG/ DOSE NASAL SPRAY 18th March 2025

Salbutamol (Salamol Easi-Breathe^®) 100micrograms/dose breath actuated inhaler CFC free 6th March 2025

Desmopressin 10microgram/dose nasal spray 3rd March 2025