Community pharmacists warn of medicine shortages amidst rising costs

Shortages and rising costs of medicines could result in patients not receiving important prescriptions, community pharmacists have warned.

Commonly-prescribed drugs used to treat conditions such as osteoporosis, high blood pressure and mental health are among those affected.

The Department of Health (DoH) said a support package worth £5.3m for the sector is being finalised.

But Community Pharmacy NI said this "falls way short of what is needed".

David McCrea from Dundela Pharmacy said the price of some medicines had been raised "fiftyfold".

"As a community pharmacist for over 30 years, I have never witnessed the price of medicines rise this sharply," Mr McCrea said.

"It is becoming increasingly hard for us to afford to buy the medicines from wholesalers because we are not being paid the full cost of these drugs by the department."

Mr McCrea added the current situation was causing "financial stress" and was becoming unsustainable.

"The bottom line is that we are now facing the situation where we will not be able to afford to supply our patients with essential medicines, within weeks."

Gerard Greene from Pharmacists NI said an "immediate injection of funding" from the Department of Health was needed

Chief executive of Community Pharmacy NI Gerard Greene said that an "immediate response" was needed from the department to help pharmacists provide the public with necessary medications.

"The funding package that was put forward falls way short of what is needed to stabilise pharmacy services," he said.

"Community pharmacists cannot afford the increasing prices, particularly when the service is dealing with more patients," he added.

Mr Greene said pharmacy teams were spending hours sourcing medicines for patients instead of directly supporting patients.

"The critical drug supply issue we are now facing shows that the department must reform the funding structures for community pharmacy in Northern Ireland," he said.

"We need an immediate injection of funding to help pharmacists deal with these pricing issues, as well as a properly-funded community pharmacy contract going forward."

Community pharmacy NI said that some of the drugs affected included:

• Alendronic acid 70mg tablets (osteoporosis)

• Lercanidipine tablets (blood pressure)

• Fluoxetine 20mg capsules (anti-depressant)

• Esomeprazole tablets (gastric disorders)

• Finasteride tablets (prostate conditions)

Mitigating plans in place

In a statement, the Department of Health said it was aware of the pressures facing community pharmacies, and arrangements are in place to ensure patients continue to get the medicines they need.

It added that a meeting was held with Community Pharmacy NI representatives last week to discuss the situation.

"The scale of the unprecedented budgetary pressures and uncertainty currently facing the department were spelt out," it said.

"Notwithstanding these pressures, Community Pharmacy NI were informed that a support package for their sector was being finalised.

"This package includes immediate interventions worth over £5.3m in value, plus a commitment to progress wider reform arrangements in collaboration with CPNI."