The government must treat supply shortages for Parkinson’s disease medicines as a “top priority” as patient concerns grow, a UK charity has warned.
In a supply update published by Parkinson’s UK on May 11, the charity said that 18 Parkinson’s medicines across five drug manufacturers are currently in short supply.
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The supply update is based on information received from drugmakers Teva Pharmaceuticals, Aspire Pharma, Organon, Ennogen and Britannia.
And the charity recommended that pharmacists contact their NHS pharmacy procurement specialist or the Specialist Pharmacy Service for advice.
“Significant distress”
Parkinson’s UK’s associate director of policy and health strategy Rowan Wathes told C+D that its helpline has heard from an “increasing number of people” experiencing “difficulties and delays in obtaining co-careldopa”.
Co-careldopa is manufactured by Teva Pharmaceuticals and is facing supply issues “until early December”.
Wathes said medicines are “vital in managing the symptoms of Parkinson’s” and shortages can cause “significant distress and anxiety” for those affected.
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“Even short delays in taking medication can affect talking, walking and swallowing,” she added. “In the worst cases, the deterioration of symptoms is irreversible.”
Parkinson’s UK is “advising people to request prescriptions as early as possible and, where needed, try alternative pharmacies”, Wathes said.
“We urge the government to treat these supply shortages as a top priority and fix them without delay.”
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And Community Pharmacy England (CPE) research and insights director Dr James Davies told C+D that “ongoing supply challenges” are “not new”, and “reflect wider, persistent pressures across the medicines supply chain”.
“We continue to encourage pharmacy teams to report any shortages or pricing issues they encounter, as this intelligence is vital in helping us press for support, and both short- and long-term solutions,” he said.
Middle East
Parkinson’s UK said causes of drug shortages are “complex” and can be a combination of manufacturing and distribution issues, medicines pricing and factors such as the impact of Brexit, Covid and conflicts around the world.
But it noted that there are “currently no reported shortages of Parkinson’s medication as a result of the conflict in the Middle East”.
It comes after NHS England’s chief executive in April raised concerns that certain medicine supplies could run out within weeks or even days due to the war in the Middle East.
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And it follows CPE last month expressing concern about the medicines supply chain following the second consecutive record month for drug price concession numbers.
Meanwhile, the National Pharmacy Association also told C+D in April that the government “must step in to help pharmacies” with “spiralling” drug prices.
