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The All-Party Pharmacy Group (APPG) has urged Labour to publish its response to its consultation last year on proposals allowing pharmacists to supply a different strength or formulation of the same medicine when it is unavailable.

In its report on medicines shortages in England one year after its public inquiry, published today, the APPG called on the Government to make its views clear on giving pharmacists flexibilities to amend prescriptions when there are shortages.

Challenging the Government to “bring forward the necessary changes without delay”, the APPG laid out five key priorities which it said will “guide its future scrutiny of medicines shortages and assess whether meaningful progress is being made”.

“The Government must publish its response and prioritise the implementation of pharmacist flexibilities that enable pharmacists to use their clinical expertise more effectively during medicines shortages,” the APPG said.

“This should include clear arrangements for identifying appropriate alternatives, supporting patients through supply disruption and reducing unnecessary delays in access to treatment.”

The APPG also called for improved “visibility” of shortages and insisted “timely, consistent and actionable information on medicines stock and possible shortages across community pharmacy, hospital settings as well as the wider healthcare system” was needed.

“Supply information should be easier to access at the point of prescribing and dispensing, enabling earlier intervention, better decision-making and clearer communication with patients when shortages arise,” it said.

Identify risks before shortages occur

The APPG said it wanted better forecasting, data-sharing and supply chain intelligence to identify risks before shortages occur, including improved use of information held by manufacturers, wholesalers, pharmacies, prescribers and the Government.

“(The aim is) supporting a more preventative approach to medicines security and reducing the likelihood of disruptions reaching patients,” the report said.

Another key priority was a review of drugs reimbursement as part of wider community pharmacy contractual framework (CPCF) reform as pharmacists continue to dispense medicines at a loss.

A review of reimbursement, the APPG said, will shed light on how it impacts the way pharmacies “purchase and hold stock”. The report said “medicines resilience” must be “recognised within pricing, appropriate reimbursement and procurement decisions” so “progress can be measured transparently”.

Finally, the APPG said medicines security must be “a strategic national priority”, taking into account the influence of global manufacturing, supply chain disruption, market conditions and wider economic pressures on medicine availability.

“Medicines security should be considered alongside wider discussions on supply chain resilience, industrial strategy and health policy, with sustained cross-system action to strengthen long-term resilience,” the APPG said.

The report was published following an oral evidence session held by the APPG in July this year in which the views of the Government, pharmaceutical industry, pharmacy, wholesale distribution and patient organisations on the Group’s 12 inquiry recommendations from last year were garnered.

Unnecessary prescribing of medicines by brand

Those recommendations included reviewing and reforming the CPCF, implementing a UK-wide medicines shortages communication and patient support strategy, establishing a national patient advisory panel on medicines shortages and developing patient-centred pathways for managing shortages in local systems.

Other recommendations included reducing unnecessary prescribing of medicines by brand, including branded generics, allowing pharmacists to make dose and formulation substitutions during shortages, reform medicines pricing and reimbursement policies and strengthen procurement contracts to reward continuity of supply.

APPG chair Sadik Al-Hassan said medicines shortages remained “a significant challenge” one year after its inquiry.

“While important progress has been made in a number of areas, shortages continue to affect patients' access to medicines, place pressure on pharmacy teams and raise wider questions about the resilience of medicines supply in the UK,” he said.

“This remains an issue raised with me by constituents and one that colleagues across parliament continue to encounter in their own constituencies, reflecting the real-world impact medicines shortages can have on patients and their families.”