- Decisive action will ensure women have continued access to
Utrogestan® 100mg capsules
- New Serious Shortage Protocol (SSP) will limit the amount a
pharmacist can dispense to no more than two months’ supply
- Update issued to pharmacists to ensure uninterrupted supply
of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) medication
A Serious Shortage Protocol (SSP) has been issued across the
United Kingdom for Utrogestan® 100mg capsules today.
This will allow pharmacists to dispense a maximum of two months’
supply per prescription to help ensure continued access for women
who use this popular medicine to help manage symptoms of the
menopause.
Temporarily changing prescriptions of Utrogestan® to a
maximum of two months’ supply will ensure more women can continue
to access the medication they need.
Utrogestan®, a type of Hormone Replacement Therapy
(HRT) used to treat menopausal symptoms, is expected to be in
intermittent supply until late 2023. Deliveries are frequently
being made by the manufacturer, Besins, but they have struggled
to meet rising demand. The manufacturer is taking steps to
increase supply, but in the meantime the SSP will support access
to available stock.
The department continues to monitor the HRT supply position very
closely and work together with industry, the NHS and other key
partners to help ensure the continuity of supply of HRT medicines
across the UK for everyone that needs them.
Minister for the Women’s Health Strategy, Minister said:
“Today’s decisive action will mean more women will be able to
access this medicine, and I want to reassure women that the vast
majority of HRT products are in good supply.
“The overall supply of HRT products has improved considerably
over the last year and I am encouraged by how industry is
responding to the growth in demand and our continued calls for
action to boost supply to meet it.
“We continue working to help ensure continuity of supply – which
is a key part of increasing support for menopausal and
pre-menopausal women and improving their quality of life.”
Serious Shortage Protocols are a standard procedure, used
frequently to manage temporary and potential medicine supply
issues. They are a way to help ensure patients have access to
safe and effective medicines, while saving time for patients,
pharmacists and prescribers by allowing prescriptions to be
issued without authorisation from the prescriber.
The government continues to take action to ensure women have
access to vital menopause medication, including:
- Holding meetings with individual suppliers on a regular
basis, requesting frequent stock updates, monitoring progress
against plans, horizon scanning for upcoming issues, problem
solving and expediting resupply dates, where needed to mitigate
shortages, where possible;
- Hosting HRT supply roundtables with suppliers, wholesalers
and community pharmacists, to provide updates on the supply
position and actions being taken to address them, share data and
discuss relevant policy developments and potential impacts;
- Issuing Serious Shortage Protocols for HRT products. Only 2
of the 22 issued since April last year remain, one for
Progynova® 100microgram patches and a more recent one
for Utrogestan® 100mg capsules, as the supply
disruptions with most products experiencing shortages have been
resolved;
- Adding some HRT medicines to the list of products that cannot
be exported from, or hoarded in, the UK. Restrictions are used to
support wholesalers to meet their legal obligation to supply the
UK market, but only where less trade restrictive measures are not
sufficient on their own;
- Sharing communications and comprehensive management guidance
with the NHS on a regular basis, to provide advice on handling of
supply issues, including direction to use alternatives where
available.
The Utrogestan® 100mg capsules SSP can be found
online: Serious shortage protocols
(SSPs) | NHSBSA
