Five strengths of fentanyl patches are set to be “out of stock” until the end of the year, the Department of Health and Social Care (DH) yesterday (April 15) warned.
Sharing the medicine supply notification, Community Pharmacy England (CPE) told pharmacists that Durogesic® DTrans® branded fentanyl patches are affected by the supply issues.
Read more: Streeting: ‘Turbulent’ Trump tariffs may hit UK medicine dispensing
It said:
- 75micrograms/hour patches are already out of stock
- 12 micrograms/hour patches “will be out of stock from late April”
- 25micrograms/hour and 50micrograms/hour patches “will be out of stock from late May”
- 100micrograms/hour patches “will be out of stock from late June”
All strengths will be back in stock by December of this year, it added.
“Alternative brands available”
CPE said that “alternative brands of fentanyl matrix patches…remain available and can support increased demand”, listing Fencino®, Matrifen®, Mezolar®, Opiodur® and Yemex® as options.
It added that the “tier two” notification would have a “medium impact”.
The supply issues come as health secretary Wes Streeting last week warned that US pharmaceutical tariffs could add “another layer of challenge” to the UK’s medicine supply and that the government may have to “take steps at the dispensing end”.
Read more: New evidence Brexit caused UK medicines shortages
“Until this trade war erupted, we’d already had issues with medicines production and supply internationally,” he said speaking on Sky News breakfast.
Meanwhile, the Nuffield Trust last month revealed that the “elevated and troubling level” of medicine shortages in the UK can be blamed on Brexit.
“There [has been] little sign of a stable recovery” in the UK since Brexit, the think tank said.
