Asked by
To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to
ensure the continued supply and availability of (1) prescription,
and (2) non-prescription, drugs.
(Con)
My Lords, the department is focused on helping to ensure
continuity of supply of medicines to the NHS. We have a
well-established process to manage and mitigate medicine supply
issues, working closely with the Medicines and Healthcare
products Regulatory Agency, the pharmaceutical industry, NHS
England, devolved Governments and others operating in the supply
chain to help prevent shortages and ensure that risks to patients
are minimised when they arise.
(Con)
I thank the Minister for his Answer. Despite what the Government
are doing, would he agree that, even though there are
pharmaceutical shortages worldwide, aspects of this in the UK
have been exacerbated by Brexit? As of April 2023, there are 301
drugs in shortage—100 more than in the same time five years ago.
I know the Government have kept a close eye on shortages and
supplies, but what are HMG doing to prepare for the forecast
shortages of sunblock creams—a vital skin cancer preventive—just
in case we have a good and sunny summer?
(Con)
My Lords, it looks like we have a good and sunny summer so far.
The department recognises the important role that sunscreen
creams play in preventing skin cancers by providing vital UVA and
UVB protection. Suncreams are cosmetic products rather than
medicines. The supply of cosmetic products is commercially driven
and there is an extensive range of these products, with wide
availability on the open market. Sunscreen creams may also be
prescribed by clinicians if clinically appropriate, taking into
account any NHS England guidance. I am not aware that there is a
shortage of suncreams at the moment.
(Lab)
My Lords, the noble Lord says that he has a well-ordered system.
Will he confirm that the number of price concessions—in other
words, price increases—agreed to by his department when medicines
are in short supply has shot up in recent months and that
community pharmacies have to pay the gap between the set price
and the newly agreed price? It then takes a long time for those
community pharmacies to be compensated. Will he look at speeding
up the compensation for community pharmacies?
(Con)
Community pharmacies play a vital role in our communities. I will
certainly take on board what the noble Lord has said and look
into that.
(CB)
My Lords, all of us want the UK to be the best place in the world
for excellent, new and innovative medicines. However, the pharma
industry has complained about uncompetitive rebate rates for both
voluntary and statutory schemes. Added to that, it has found it
difficult to launch new medicines in the UK, and there is a great
variation of availability to patients of medicines appraised by
NICE of as much as 51%. What are the Government doing to address
all these problems with solutions, so that patients can get the
medicines they need?
(Con)
The Government work closely with NICE on a multitude of new
medicines and do a very good job of bringing them to the patients
of need. If the noble Lord has any specific issues about any
particular drugs, I can certainly look into that on his
behalf.
(LD)
My Lords, when a drug is in short supply and being replaced by an
alternative, can the Minister say what guidance is given to GPs
and pharmacists on how to ensure that the patient understands how
to use the new product? This may be particularly important in the
case of medical devices, such as those to control diabetes. I am
thinking of pre-filled inulin pens, which all work in different
ways and have different dosages. It is particularly important
that the patient understands how to deliver it, when to deliver
it and what the dosage should be.
(Con)
The noble Baroness raises a very important point regarding
medication for diabetes. She is absolutely right: when a patient
is used to a medication, or indeed a device, it can be
distressing and frustrating. We are aware of that. We want to
assure noble Lords that the DHSC has well-established processes
to manage supply issues, working with the supplier to resolve
these issues as soon as possible. Where there is perhaps a
shortage, it is very important that the patient gets training on
the alternative device and that we get them back on to the device
that they are familiar with.
(Con)
My Lords, to follow on from the comments of the noble Lord,
, Ozempic, a drug approved by
NICE, is to be made available to diabetics. The accessibility to
this particular drug is poor, and yet it has been made available
to non-diabetic patients, such as celebrities. My concerns are
twofold. First, what is the access available for diabetic
patients to this new and life-changing drug? Secondly, how are
the Government ensuring that young girls in particular are not
following celebrities in using this drug just to bring down their
weight?
(Con)
My noble friend raises a very important point. Social media has a
detrimental effect on the health and well-being of young
girls—celebrities latch on to these things and it goes viral. The
prescribers, whether NHS or private, are accountable for their
prescribing decisions. They are expected to take account of
appropriate national guidance. It is for the responsible
clinician to work with their patient and decide on the course of
treatment, with the provision of the most clinically appropriate
care for the individual always the primary consideration. We will
always work with clinicians to ensure that these drugs are
prescribed as safely as possible, alongside specialist
weight-management services.
(Lab)
My Lords, a recent survey by the Pharmaceutical Journal listed
serious shortages over the last year in the availability of
treatments for common conditions, including menopause symptoms,
high cholesterol, high blood pressure and osteoporosis, such that
pharmacists were unable to provide the necessary medication. What
assessment has been made of the effect of medicine shortages on
people with those conditions? Does the Minister share my concern
about the associated impact of these shortages on the NHS, in
pressures as well as increased costs?
(Con)
I share the concerns of the noble Baroness. Medicine supply
problems can occur for a number of reasons, and occasionally the
NHS experiences shortages of specific medicines, which may be
temporary and localised. We want to assure people that the
department has well-established processes to prevent, manage and
mitigate medicine shortages. The noble Baroness mentioned HRT.
There are 70 hormone replacement therapy products, and the vast
majority are in good supply. There have been issues with the
supply of a limited numbers of HRT products, primarily due to a
very sharp increase in demand, but the supply position for the
majority of HRT products has improved considerably over the last
year.
(CB)
My Lords, I draw the attention of the House to my registered
interests. What assessment have His Majesty’s Government made of
the importance of securing an effective environment for clinical
research, in ensuring that major developers of innovative
therapies continue to provide those therapies to the citizens of
our country?
(Con)
The noble Lord raises a very important point. The Government are
always keen to engage with the development community on a
case-by-case basis. As we have discussed from this Dispatch Box
in the past, there are moneys available. It is very important
that we all work closely together to make sure that those
medicines of the future are made available for the
population.
(Con)
My Lords, do the Government intend to take steps in response to
the January report by the Medicines Manufacturing Industry
Partnership to address the decline in medicines manufacturing and
employment in the United Kingdom?
(Con)
The Government recognise the valuable role that medicines
manufacturing plays in the UK economy. It enables us to
capitalise on our world-class research and development, create
jobs and, significantly, create growth. Life science
pharmaceutical manufacturing was responsible for more than £20
billion of exports in 2021. Our Life Sciences Vision set out the
Government’s ambition to create a globally competitive
environment for manufacturing investment. Last March, we launched
the £60 million life sciences innovative manufacturing fund to
encourage manufacturing investment in the UK. We will announce
the fund’s winners later this year.
(LD)
My Lords, for people to be able to access the drugs they need it
is essential that there is a well-staffed network of local
community pharmacies. Can the Minister confirm that there will be
increased training of pharmacists in the Government’s
long-awaited NHS workforce plan? When can we expect to see
it?
(Con)
I thank the noble Lord for that question. I assure him that,
earlier this morning, before I came to this Dispatch Box, I asked
for an update on the workforce plan. It is going to be released
shortly—
Noble Lords
Oh!
(Con)
That was my choice of words. I look forward to sharing the plan
with noble Lords. The noble Lord raises an important point about
community pharmacies. We all rely on them. Some 80% of the
population can get to a pharmacy within 20 minutes, so there is a
good distribution of community pharmacies in this country. With
regard to training, my understanding is that it is rolled out,
and pharmacists do an outstanding service for the country.
