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.
Abidec® Multivitamin drops 16th July 2025
Amiodarone 200mg tablets 11th July 2025
Diclofenac (Voltarol® Ophtha) 0.1% eye drops 0.3ml unit dose preservative free 11th July 2025
Salbutamol 100micrograms/dose breath actuated inhalers CFC free 4th July 2025
NATIONAL PATIENT SAFETY ALERT – SHORTAGE OF BUMETANIDE 1MG TABLETS 4th July 2025
Betamethasone 500microgram soluble tablets sugar free 30th June 2025
POTENTIAL SUPPLY DISRUPTIONS – FOOD FOR SPECIAL MEDICAL PURPOSES 25th June 2025
Venlafaxine 37.5mg modified release tablets 13th June 2025
NovoRapid® PumpCart® (insulin aspart) 100units/ml solution for injection 1.6ml cartridges 4th June 2025
Tolterodine 2mg and 4mg modified-release capsules 21st May 2025
Phenobarbital 15mg/5ml elixir 21st May 2025
Buprenorphine (Reletrans®) 5micrograms/hour and 15micrograms/hour transdermal patches 8th May 2025
Lidocaine (Xylocaine®) 10mg/dose spray sugar free 8th May 2025
Fentanyl (Effentora®) 200microgram, 400microgram, 600microgram, 800microgram buccal tablets, and Fentanyl (Actiq®) 800microgram lozenges 30th April 2025
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
Triptorelin acetate (Gonapeptyl® Depot) 3.75mg pre-filled syringes 21st February 2025
Quetiapine 50mg, 150mg, 200mg, 300mg and 400mg modified-release tablets 10th February 2025
Camellia sinensis extract (Catephen®) 10% ointment
Fluorouracil (Efudix®) 5% cream
Imiquimod (Aldara® 5% and Zyclara® 3.75%) cream 250mg sachets 4th February 2025
Memantine (Valios®) 5mg orodispersible tablets sugar free 28th January 2025
Hydrocortisone sodium phosphate 100mg/1ml solution for injection ampoules 21st January 2025
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
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