A UK medicines boss has warned that if the conflict with Iran continues then Brits could soon face a medicine shortage
Brits could soon face a medicine shortage, an expert has warned(Image: Getty Images/Science Photo Library RF)
The UK could be “a few weeks away” from a medicine shortage due to the ongoing US/Israeli war with Iran, experts have warned.
Crucial meds from painkillers to cancer drugs could be impacted if the war continues to rage, due to the shortage of oil, gas and fertilisers. The supply of medications could drop and prices could also rise. Iran has effectively blocked off the Strait of Hormuz – one of the world ‘s busiest shipping lanes – so some nations in the area have started to fly essential pills and treatments out to the rest of the world.
This however has also been an issue due to drone strikes on Gulf airports that have caused major disruptions to the airspace in the Middle East. A UK medicine chief warned that this health threat was a “serious situation”.
A ship stuck in the Strait of Hormuz(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
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The chief executive of Medicines UK, Mark Samuels, which represents manufacturers of some drugs used by the NHS, said: “We’re not in a crisis currently but it’s still a serious situation.”
Speaking to The Guardian, he warned that an ongoing conflict could lead to drug shortages in just a few weeks’ time, in the UK. Although the UK makes around half of its drugs at home, around a third is manufactured in India or other parts of Europe, but the war has caused shipping costs to shoot up.
Samuels said: “One in five NHS medicines comes in by air, and currently manufacturers are trying to absorb those costs. But they’ve got historically low margins, and the risk is that it makes some medicines lossmaking to supply to the NHS.”
This comes after pharmacists warned the UK should start stockpiling medicines amid conflict in the Middle East.
The Independent Pharmacies Association, which represents 5,000 pharmacies across England and Wales, wrote to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, The Mirror previously reported.
Its chief executive Dr Leyla Hannbeck said some painkillers were already in short supply, such as co-codamol and opioids.
She said: “Community pharmacies are already feeling the strain of fragile global supply chains. Tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important shipping routes, have raised fears of rising crude oil prices and disruptions to international trade. This matters for medicine.”
Suppliers to UK hospitals have to hold eight weeks’ worth of medication. Medical distributors typically stock hold six to eight weeks’ worth of drugs and treatments.