Common painkillers may soon be rationed in Northern Ireland due to a growing shortage, pharmacists warn MLAs. The industry body Community Pharmacy NI has alerted MLAs to a prolonged shortage of various common medications, including the painkiller co-codamol 30/500mg, which could last for several months. Without immediate intervention, Northern Ireland faces the prospect of more frequent and severe disruptions in the coming weeks. The region dispenses approximately 50,000 packs of co-codamol, totaling around 5 million tablets, each month to a population of fewer than 2 million people. Community pharmacies may be forced to ration medicines, potentially affecting 50 to 100 patients per pharmacy, to ensure a sufficient supply for patients. This situation is not unique, as another shortage affects low-dose, dissolvable aspirin, primarily used as an anti-platelet medicine for stroke or heart attack risk patients. Chemists are struggling to source over 100 common medicine lines in short supply. The current shortages are driven by global manufacturing and supply chain constraints, posing significant medicines security and supply concerns in Northern Ireland. This has direct implications for patient safety and puts pressure on GPs, out-of-hours services, and the broader health system. Gerard Greene, Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy NI, emphasizes the sustained and increasing pressure on community pharmacies in Northern Ireland. The gap between medicine costs and reimbursement is widening, and pharmacies are facing challenges in paying medicine wholesalers and securing sufficient supplies of common medicines. The supply issue is causing pharmacies to work intensively under severe constraints to source medicines, with pharmacy teams reporting daily shortages of other commonly prescribed medicines. Despite these challenges, pharmacists are committed to supporting patients in obtaining their necessary medications. Community Pharmacy NI urges the public to be patient with pharmacy teams and calls on the Minister to prioritize support for the sector, removing the clawback that reduced pharmacy payments for medicines dispensed by £23 million. This measure would ensure the stability of the medicines supply chain, which is a UK-wide concern but particularly relevant to Northern Ireland due to its small market and additional logistical costs. Pharmacists have raised concerns with the Health Minister and are advocating for collaboration with the UK Government to strengthen medicines security and supply in Northern Ireland, including ring-fencing medicine stock to ensure patients' continued access to essential medications. Without prompt action, Northern Ireland risks becoming a lower-priority market for medicine wholesalers, with severe consequences for patient safety, care continuity, and the overall health system's resilience.
