UK patients stockpile drugs in fear of no-deal Brexit

Ministers have been urged by top doctors to reveal the extent of national drug stocks, amid growing evidence patients are stockpiling medication in preparation for a no-deal Brexit.

The Royal College of Physicians (RCP), which represents tens of thousands of doctors, urged the government to be more “transparent about national stockpiles, particularly for things that are already in short supply or need refrigeration, such as insulin”.

Prof Andrew Goddard, the president of the RCP, told the Guardian: “Faith in the system will be created by openness and regular updates to trusts and clinicians; this will allow clinicians to reassure patients.”

Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) warned medical shortages have increased in recent months.Generic drugs are usually bought through nationally-set tariff prices. However, pharmacies can apply for price concessions that enable them to temporarily pay more when the drugs are in short supply. The number of concessions the PSNC applied for went up from 45 in October, to 72 in November and 87 in December.

The Guardian has also found evidence some patients are stockpiling drugs, against official guidance. They said they were doing so by ordering drugs from abroad, and by asking their GPs for emergency prescriptions. One diabetic patient has been stockpiling insulin for four months, ordering twice the amount he needs for each of his drugs from the pharmacist.

Robin Hewings, the head of policy at Diabetes UK, backed calls for more transparency from the government about current stock levels to reassure patients. “There is a level of concern that has risen quite a lot [in the last few months] and people with diabetes are talking about stockpiling. The government needs to be more transparent about insulin supplies.”

Hewings said people with diabetes in particular needed more reassurance.

He added the risks associated with patients stockpiling drugs meant NHS resources could be wasted. “If we are in a situation where supplies are constrained and people then start trying to get a lot more insulin than they need                    . . .  I worry about the way that might play out.” — The Guardian.

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