A recent report by the British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA) has shed light on ongoing supply challenges in England's generic medicines market,
revealing significant issues impacting patient care.
The report highlights significant challenges faced in supply of medicines as currently, 51.72 per cent of generics in short supply lack licensed alternatives,
posing substantial hurdles to ensuring continuous patient care.
Additionally, 39.08 per cent of affected generics are branded, indicating widespread disruptions across the market.
A notable 26.44 per cent of generics experiencing shortages have been affected for over six months, highlighting persistent difficulties in supply chain management.
The report indicates that 0.15 per cent of generic medicine presentations listed in the Drug Tariff are currently facing supply issues, impacting accessibility
nationwide.
To help manage the ongoing supply disruptions, the health regulators have extended to 28 October 2022, serious shortage protocols (SSPs) for 12 of the 13
hormone replacement therapies (HRT).
"The only HRT SSP set to expire on 29 July 2022 is for SSP021 Premique low dose 0.3mg/1.5mg modified-release tablets. After 29 July, there will be no need to
restrict quantities of Premique tablets as its supply situation has now stabilised," said PSNC.
In addition, the dose equivalence advice and endorsement guidance for SSP024 and SSP025 have been updated.
SSP024 and SSP025 have been updated by DHSC to provide greater clarity to pharmacists on the dose equivalences to determine the appropriate quantity to supply.
Pharmacists are asked to refer to the latest SSP versions and endorsement guidance published on NHSBSA's website.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), professional membership body for pharmacists and pharmacy, has published its manifesto for the general election,
highlighting key issues facing the next government after the election on July 4.
Local candidates are urged to recognise and support the vital role pharmacists play in supporting people's health.
The RPS teams are gearing up to influence government policy in various crucial areas. Their key asks include:
Ensuring Secure Patient Access to Medicines
Supporting a Better-Connected NHS
Enhancing Accessible Prescribing in Local Communities
Maximizing Health Improvement through Locally Accessible Pharmacy Teams
Supporting the Workforce to Deliver Patient Care
Unlocking the Potential of New Advances in Medicines
Supporting the UK's Global Position in Science and Research
Acknowledging the efforts of pharmacists and their teams, Professor Claire Anderson, President of the RPS, noted that they are "working incredibly hard to
maintain patient access to care amid workforce challenges, medicines shortages and financial pressures."
The British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA) has raised concerns over the rise in the VPAS rate for 2023 to 26.5 per cent.
The Department of Health Social Care (DHSC) today announced that the 2019 voluntary scheme payment percentage for 2023 will be 26.5%. The 2019 voluntary scheme
for branded medicines pricing and access is an agreement between the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and the Association of the British
Pharmaceutical Industry.
BGMA believes that the high VPAS tax for 2023 risks more medicines shortages, rising prices for the NHS via reduced competition, and new medicine launches to the
UK being deferred.
Mark Samuels, Chief Executive of BGMA, said: "Raising the VPAS tax to 26.5% will damage the UK's medicines supply because it will make some products lossmaking. It
is more than a five-fold tax increase from 2021, and no industry can cope with this unpredictable and exceptional tax volatility.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has allowed pharmacists to supply alternative penicillin to treat Strep A. It has issued Serious Shortage
Protocols (SSPs) for three penicillin medicines.
"The SSPs will help mitigate local supply issues of oral penicillin and allow pharmacists to supply alternative forms of the medicine if they do not have the
specific formulation stated on the prescription," said DHSC.
SSPs have been issued across the UK for 3 penicillin medicines on Thursday (December 15.
"Issuing an SSP allows pharmacists to legally supply a specified alternative medicine, removing the need for the patient to return to the prescriber - which saves
time in GP practices and inconvenience for patients."
"Demand for penicillin has risen recently as it is used to treat strep A and scarlet fever, and the increased demand means that some pharmacists are experiencing
temporary and localised supply issues and may not have the specific formulation listed on the prescription."
Attempts to deal with record waiting lists for hospital treatment caused by the Covid-19 pandemic are at risk of being derailed by a staffing crisis, which is being exacerbated by the Omicron wave, a cross-party lawmakers' report said on Thursday (January 6).
The report entitled 'Clearing the backlog caused by the pandemic' calls for a broader national health and care recovery plan - one that would embrace A&E, mental health, GPs, community and social care.
Hospitals are facing extreme pressure as they try to catch up on months of operations that have been delayed and suspended during the pandemic, as Covid-19 hospitalizations rise once more and self-isolation hits staffing levels.
There is a record 5.8 million waiting list for elective care, the Health and Social Care Committee said, adding that a recent surge in the Omicron variant has pushed cases to record highs and intensified pre-existing issues.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Director for Scotland Clare Morrison participated in the panel discussion alongside representatives from other health
professional organisations on tackling the workforce crisis at the SNP conference in Aberdeen on 8 October.
At the conference, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care committed to achieving protected learning time for health professionals. Morrison welcomed the
Cabinet Secretary's statement as fantastic news for pharmacists across Scotland.
"RPS Scotland will follow up the discussion by writing to the Cabinet Secretary to request a meeting to discuss achieving protected learning time, the forthcoming
results of our workforce wellbeing survey, and positive examples of how pharmacy teams have improved the well-being of their teams," said the society.
he Healthcare Distribution Association (HDA) and the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiation Committee (PSNC) have urged the NHS England and the Department of
Health and Social Care (DHSC) to issue urgent communications requesting that all those involved in medicines supply do not hoard, stockpile or over-prescribe Strep
A antibiotics.
In a statement HDA said that the sudden spike in demand for antibiotics used for the treatment of Strep A has meant that there is not enough of these medicines in
the supply chain currently to meet this increased demand. As a result, wholesalers are working extremely hard with manufacturers to increase the supply of antibiotics.
It added: "As regards pricing, the prices charged to pharmacies by HDA wholesale distributors will directly reflect the increase in prices wholesalers are having
to pay for these medicines from manufacturers at the moment, in order to be able to continue supplying these medicines to pharmacies. This will be the case until
supply and demand are more in sync."
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has urged the government to amend medicines legislation to allow pharmacists to make minor amendments to a prescription
without any protocol being needed.
RPS wants to see a change in the law that makes the whole process of supply of medicines easier and quicker, enabling pharmacists to use their knowledge and expertise
in medicines to better support patients.
"At present a prescription can only be changed by a prescriber, which causes unnecessary workload for GPs and delays for patients," said RPS.
RPS President Professor Claire Anderson said: "We want to see all pharmacists across the UK able to supply a different quantity, strength or formulation of a medicine
(for example changing capsules to tablets) when required, to avoid unnecessary bureaucracy and the need for an SSP to be developed, signed and authorised by a
Minister. In effect it would mean that pharmacists can help patients straight away - it would future proof the problem to some degree.
Expressing apprehension over the concerning decline in the nursing workforce, Sir Julian Hartley, CEO of NHS Providers, urged the forthcoming government
to bolster investment in nursing education and enhance support for student nurses.
Recent analysis from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has projected that the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan will fall short by 10,000 new nurses by 2025.
Commenting on the RCN analysis, Sir Hartley underscored the critical importance of having an adequate number of nurses to ensure the delivery of safe,
high-quality patient care.
"Without enough nurses, the delivery of safe, high-quality patient care is compromised," he said.
He cautioned that the predicted shortfall in nurses would exacerbate existing pressures on the NHS, resulting in long waiting times, delayed treatments and
staff burnout.
Thousands of people in Britain infected with HIV and hepatitis C through contaminated blood transfusions will receive a compensation payment decades after
the scandal, the government announced on Wednesday (August 17).
The payment of £100,000 ($121,000) to each victim is an interim one after Brian Langstaff, the chairman of a public inquiry into the long-running scandal, last
month recommended making immediate payouts before waiting for an ongoing inquiry to conclude.
The former High Court judge said that the "moral case for compensation is beyond doubt".
The government said the tax-free payments, to survivors of the scandal and bereaved partners of the thousands estimated to have died from the contaminated blood,
would be made by the end of October.
Thousands of people with haemophilia contracted hepatitis C and HIV after receiving blood transfusions, mainly from the United States, through the NHS in the 1970s,
1980s and 1990s.
Due to a shortage of blood products in Britain, the NHS bought much of its stock from US suppliers whose donors, including prisoners and other groups at high risk of
infection, had been paid for their blood.
In a bid to address the ongoing deficit in staff in the UK's healthcare system, the National Health Service (NHS) has entered into a new workforce agreement
with India.
According to media reports, the healthcare service plans to hire 2,000 doctors from India on a fast-track basis to alleviate this pressing issue.
It is learned that the NHS has set up training centres across many Indian cities such as Mumbai, Bangalore, Nagpur, Delhi, Gurugram, Indore, Mysore, Chennai,
and Calicut to provide postgraduate training for the first batch of doctors.
Post their training period (which ranges from six to 12 months), these doctors will be deployed at hospitals across Britain. They will also be exempted from the
Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) examination that is otherwise mandatory for practising in the country.
Weight loss drug Wegovy has transformed the obesity market and pharmaceutical companies with existing treatments are hoping the resulting demand will boost
demand for their older, less effective but cheaper, drugs.
A weekly injection of Wegovy, which was launched in the U.S. in June 2021, leads to an average weight loss of around 15%, alongside changes to diet and exercise.
Its impact has captured the attention of patients, investors and even celebrities.
But supply issues for Wegovy manufacturer Novo Nordisk means the Danish drugmaker has struggled to meet surging U.S. demand, delaying a launch in most of Europe.
Insurers and some national governments have also baulked at its cost, while a minority of patients do not respond to it.
Vivus and Currax Pharmaceuticals, U.S.-based developers whose treatments have been on the U.S. market for around a decade, hope to benefit from the attention and
supply shortage.
But scientists and investors say that lower efficacy plus side effects could continue to hold the treatments back.
As the countdown to the next UK election begins, the King's Fund has identified three priorities to improve public health.
The national action would be taken by the future government to fix the "NHS and social care" in the country.
The health policy think tank said it would prioritise "improving access to out-of-hospital care", making "careers in health and social care" more attractive
and tackling the biggest risk factors affecting people's health.
It highlighted that workforce crisis is one of the biggest challenges faced by the National Health Service (NHS) and social care services in England while
citing "years of poor planning and fragmented responsibilities" as the reason for widespread staff shortages.
As per the King's Fund's data, there were more than 125,000 vacancies across the NHS workforce in England in October 2023, not including primary care vacancies
such as GPs, and 152,000 vacant posts in the adult social care workforce.
Atorvastatin, a medicine to treat high blood cholesterol, is the most dispensed drug with 59 million items in England in 2022/23, revealed the NHS Business
Services Authority (NHSBSA) on Thursday (8 June).
While Apixaban (an anticoagulant) was the drug with the highest costs of £430 million. Apixaban 5mg tablets had the largest increase in cost between 2021/22 and
2022/23 in England, with an increase of £280 million.
NHSBSA's annual statistics report 'Prescription Cost Analysis-England 2022/23' published also has revealed an eight per cent rise in the prescription items that
were dispensed in the community in England.
The report highlighted that in 2022/23, 1.18 billion prescription items were dispensed at a cost of £10.4 billion in the community in England, witnessing an
increase of eight per cent from £9.69 billion in 2021/22.
"Patients deserve choice, but wherever they go they will find vacant nursing posts and overstretched services," responded Professor Pat Cullen, RCN
General Secretary and Chief Executive, to the introduction of the new pilot scheme for out-of-hospital patient care.
The NHSE and the DHSC have announced a new pilot scheme commencing in autumn "offering patients a choice of where they receive out-of-hospital care".
Under the initiative, individuals requiring treatment outside of hospitals will have the opportunity to select from a range of providers across both the NHS
and the independent sector.
Patients can select their care provider for in-hospital consultant-led services post-GP consultation, offering a choice from at least 5 providers with details
on waiting times, distance, and quality.
The British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA) has warned that England's 42 integrated care boards (ICBs) may need to allocate an extra £37 million
from their budgets annually for the next five years due to the spiralling tax rates.
The government's Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access (VPAS) rebate rate increased more than five-fold in the past two years, the BGMA said
in its white paper released on Monday (October 30).
The report, conducted by consultancy firm Conclusio in consultation with local NHS leaders, examined the potential effects of the VPAS on ICB budgets.
BGMA said that due to the elevated VPAS rate, each ICB in England will experience significant increases in expenses for branded generics and biosimilars
annually - a consequence of reduced competition.