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.

Xylocaine® (lidocaine) 10mg spray 15th January 2025

Apomorphine hydrochloride (APO-go® PFS) 50mg/10ml solution for infusion pre-filled syringes 10th January 2025

NovoRapid® (insulin aspart) FlexTouch® 100units/ml solution for injection 3ml pre-filled pens 7th January 2025

NATIONAL PATIENT SAFETY ALERT – SHORTAGE OF PANCREATIC ENZYME REPLACEMENT THERAPY (PERT) – ADDITIONAL ACTIONS 23rd December 2024

Isosorbide mononitrate 10mg, 20mg and 40mg tablets (immediate-release) 19th December 2024

Prednisolone 20mg/100ml rectal solution 19th December 2024

Estradiol (Estradot®) 50mcg, 75mcg, and 100mcg patches 19th December 2024

Cefalexin 125mg/5ml and 250mg/5ml oral suspension (sugar free) 13th December 2024

Insulatard® (isophane insulin, human) Penfill® 100units/ml suspension for injection 3ml cartridges 13th December 2024

Coal tar extract (Neutrogena® T/Gel® Therapeutic) 2% shampoo 3rd December 2024

Diclofenac (Voltarol® Ophtha Multidose) 0.1% eye drops 27th November 2024

Imiquimod (Aldara® 5% and Bascellex® 50mg/g) cream 250mg sachets 27th Nov 2024