May 8th 2026

By Ailsa Colquhoun

Academics dismiss 'deprescribing' as too slow to mitigate shortages

The gradual nature of de-prescribing means that this potential reserve of medicines cannot be mobilised quickly enough to address UK medication shortages, academics have concluded.

A new report, Shortages, substitutes and uncertainty: the new reality of drugs supplies, says that drug shortages will take sustained investment in domestic manufacturing and genuine political will to treat the problem as a long-term priority. Where UK production isn’t viable, the NHS must urgently diversify their overseas suppliers.

Looking at the role of GPs and pharmacists in medicines shortages, the University of Manchester report concludes that NHS services often lack the capacity to review and safely reduce medications, leaving patients on unncessary prescriptions. It calls for GPs and pharmacists to have better information about which medicines can be used when supplies run short, and the resources to discuss medication changes with patients. A recent House of Lords report called for mandatory reporting of stock levels by pharmacists.

The academics cite the causes of disruption as manufacturing failures, reliance on overseas suppliers, fluctuating demand, regulatory changes and wars. It says that around 60 per cent of drug shortages are linked to manufacturing bottlenecks and insufficient reserves of both finished products and raw ingredients.

• The NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service has published a poster with a QR code for quick access to its Medicines Supply tool.