Why Are Some Medicines Out of Stock? Understanding Medication Shortages and Rising Drug Costs

If you have recently experienced delays in receiving your medication, been told an item is unavailable, or noticed your prescription has been changed to an alternative medicine, you are not alone.

Across the UK, community pharmacies are facing increasing challenges caused by medicine shortages and significant rises in the cost of many medications. These issues are affecting pharmacies nationwide and creating difficulties in maintaining a consistent supply of medicines for patients.

We wanted to explain what is happening behind the scenes and reassure our patients that we are doing everything possible to minimise disruption to your care.

How Pharmacies Purchase Medicines

Many people assume that pharmacies receive medicines directly from the NHS. In reality, community pharmacies purchase medicines from pharmaceutical wholesalers and manufacturers using their own funds.

Every day, pharmacies invest thousands of pounds purchasing medicines to ensure stock is available for patients when prescriptions arrive. These medicines are sourced from a range of suppliers and wholesalers, with prices often changing daily depending on availability and market conditions.

Once a prescription has been dispensed, the pharmacy then submits a claim to the NHS and receives reimbursement at a later date.

However, pharmacies are not usually reimbursed based on the price they actually paid for the medicine. Instead, reimbursement is generally based on a pricing system known as the Drug Tariff.

What Is the Drug Tariff?

The Drug Tariff is a monthly publication that sets out the reimbursement prices for thousands of medicines and appliances dispensed by community pharmacies in England.

For many medicines, the Drug Tariff determines how much the NHS will reimburse a pharmacy when a prescription is supplied.

For example, if a medicine has a Drug Tariff reimbursement price of £10, the pharmacy would normally expect to receive around £10 from the NHS for dispensing that item.

Historically, pharmacies have often been able to purchase medicines at or below the Drug Tariff price, allowing the reimbursement system to work effectively.

However, the medicines market has changed significantly in recent years.

Why Is the Drug Tariff Causing Problems?

The challenge arises when the actual cost of obtaining a medicine becomes significantly higher than the reimbursement price set within the Drug Tariff.

For example, a medicine may have a Drug Tariff reimbursement price of £15, but due to shortages or supply issues, pharmacies may only be able to purchase it for £30, £40 or even more.

In these situations, pharmacies are often faced with supplying medicines at a financial loss in order to ensure patients continue receiving the treatment they need.

While the NHS can introduce price concessions for certain medicines experiencing supply difficulties, these adjustments do not always happen immediately and may not fully reflect the true cost of obtaining stock in a rapidly changing market.

This means pharmacies can sometimes pay substantially more for medicines than they will ultimately be reimbursed.

A Simple Example

Imagine a pharmacy receives a prescription for a medicine that is reimbursed at £15 under the Drug Tariff.

Due to a national shortage, the only available supplier is charging £40 for that same medicine.

The pharmacy now faces a difficult situation. It can either:

• Supply the medicine and make a £25 loss on that item.

• Spend valuable time trying to locate alternative stock.

• Contact the GP surgery to discuss whether a suitable alternative medication could be prescribed.

  
  

Unfortunately, situations like this are becoming increasingly common across the UK.

Why Are Medicine Shortages Happening?

There is no single cause behind the current shortages.

A combination of factors is affecting medicine supply worldwide, including:

• Increased global demand for certain medications.

• Manufacturing delays and production issues.

• Shortages of raw materials.

• International supply chain disruption.

• Rising transport and distribution costs.

• Regulatory changes and market pressures.

• Increased demand following media attention or changes in prescribing trends.

  
  

When manufacturers cannot produce enough stock, wholesalers receive limited supplies. As availability decreases, competition for remaining stock increases, which often causes prices to rise even further.

Unfortunately, many of these factors are outside the control of pharmacies, wholesalers and even manufacturers themselves.

What We Are Doing To Help

At Aston Pharmacy Group, we are working hard every day to stay ahead of potential shortages and price increases.

Our teams regularly monitor market intelligence, manufacturer updates and supplier information to identify medicines that may become difficult to obtain before shortages become widespread.

We are also:

• Increasing stock levels where possible.

• Holding additional medicines within our branches and central stock locations.

• Working closely with wholesalers to identify alternative supply routes.

• Sharing information across our pharmacy network to maximise stock availability.

• Monitoring market pricing to help secure medicines before further increases occur.

• Moving stock between branches when required to ensure patients receive their medicines as quickly as possible.

  
  

Our aim is always to ensure patients receive their medication with as little disruption as possible.

When We Cannot Obtain a Medicine

Despite our best efforts, there are occasions when a medicine simply cannot be sourced at a reasonable cost or is unavailable nationwide.

When this happens, we work closely with local GP surgeries and prescribing teams to identify suitable alternatives that can be prescribed instead.

This process can sometimes take time, but it helps ensure patients continue to receive safe and effective treatment when their usual medication is unavailable.

In many cases, there may be another medicine available that provides the same clinical benefit and allows treatment to continue without unnecessary delay.

The Hidden Work Behind Every Prescription

When medicines are in short supply, pharmacy teams often spend significant amounts of time sourcing stock, contacting suppliers, checking alternative wholesalers, arranging stock transfers, speaking with GP practices and communicating with patients.

Much of this work happens behind the scenes and is not always visible to the public.

What may appear to be a simple prescription can sometimes involve multiple phone calls, supplier checks and clinical discussions before the medicine can finally be supplied.

Our teams undertake this work every day because ensuring patients receive the medicines they need remains our highest priority.

A Message To Our Patients

We understand that medication delays can be frustrating and worrying, particularly when you rely on regular treatment to manage your health.

Please be assured that our teams are working incredibly hard behind the scenes to source medicines, manage stock levels and find solutions whenever problems arise.

Unfortunately, there is currently no quick fix to many of the global supply issues affecting the pharmaceutical market. However, what we can promise is that we will continue to do everything we can to support our patients and maintain access to essential medicines.

We kindly ask for your patience and understanding during these challenging times.

Thank you for your continued support and trust in our pharmacy teams. We remain committed to providing the best possible care and service to our communities.

At Aston Pharmacy Group, we will continue working tirelessly to source medicines, support patients and collaborate with healthcare partners to find solutions whenever supply issues arise.