UK cold medicine shortages are governments’ fault, say pharmacists | Health

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A shortage of cough and cold medicines in the UK is the result of a lack of planning by ministers, pharmacy officials say.

Conservatives at Rishi Sunaks have been accused of being in denial as supply chain problems worsen, with pharmacists reporting shortages of once-common cold and flu medicines.

The Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies said throat lozenges, cough mixtures and some painkillers were among the medicines affected, after problems with supplies of antibiotics and HRT last year.

Pharmacists are struggling to get the most common cold and flu medicines, chief executive Leyla Hannbeck told the PA news agency. It’s not just brand name drugs, it’s also simple things like throat lozenges, cough mixes, or pain relievers, especially those that are dissolvable.

Demand has been high as this season we have seen more cases of colds and flu and people are obviously trying to take care of themselves and make sure they are using the right products to manage the symptoms.

And that has led to a shortage of these products in that we are not able to get them.

The UK Health Security Agency has warned that winter illnesses including flu and Covid continue to circulate at high levels. As a result, officials urged people to keep children with fever out of school and urged sick adults to wear face masks to stem the spread of infections.

Hannbeck added: Unfortunately, part of that is a lack of planning on the part of managers in terms of anticipating issues and trying to plan ahead to sort them out.

For example, with colds and flu, we knew a few months ago that cases were increasing and it was anticipated that there would be higher demand for these products.

So you would have thought that plans would have been in place to handle that in terms of liaising with manufacturers and introducing products.

Not being able to access self-care products in pharmacies is putting increased pressure on the NHS, she added.

Niamh McMillan, Superintendent of Pharmacy Superdrug, said: We are currently experiencing exceptionally high demand for cold and flu products.

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If your usual products are not available and you are looking to relieve your symptoms, our pharmacists can advise you on the most appropriate painkillers and decongestants to help you.

Meanwhile, a Boots spokesperson added: The general availability of cough and cold relief in our stores across the UK is good and sufficient to meet current demand.

There may be temporary shortages in some stores of a particular brand, for example Lemsip, but there will almost always be suitable alternatives available.

Health Minister Will Quince met with Hannbeck on Wednesday to discuss community pharmacy issues.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: We are aware of issues with the availability of certain branded cold and flu medicines. These appear to be temporary and localized, but we are working with suppliers to investigate and help ensure that over-the-counter cold and flu medicines remain available.

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