‘Distressing’ scarcity sowing uncertainty among 400,000 with type 1 diabetes, experts warn. In the UK this is partly blamed on Brexit, and on Conservatives defunding the NHS and setting draconian spending limits. But it’s a world wide problem with multiple causes.
The “distressing” drug scarcity, the latest to affect the UK, is sowing uncertainty for the 400,000 people with the condition, with some products not available again until next year amid global manufacturing shortages.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) confirmed there were “supply issues with a limited number of insulin products” that patients might find “distressing”.
In a report published earlier this month, the Nuffield Trust warned that drug shortages were a “new normal” in Britain and that Brexit was worsening the situation.
Eli Lilly warns of temporary short supply of two insulin products
Drugmaker Eli Lilly warned [in March] that two of its formulations of insulin would be temporarily out of stock through the beginning of April, citing a “brief delay in manufacturing.”
The 10-milliliter vials of Humalog and insulin lispro injection will be in short supply at wholesalers and some pharmacies, Lilly said in a statement posted online Wednesday. The company said that prefilled pen versions of those medicines are still available in the US and that it continues to manufacture the 10-milliliter vials “and will ship them as soon as we can.”
Lilly said in its statement that the company recognizes “that any supply challenge may cause a disruption in people’s treatment regimens, and we are moving with urgency to address it.”
People who have trouble getting their prescription filled should contact their health-care provider to discuss switching to the same insulin in a prefilled pen “or other insulin treatment options,” Lilly said. The company also suggested that patients check other pharmacies.
Those who need insulin immediately “and cannot access their healthcare provider for an alternative treatment option should seek emergency care,” Lilly said.
Diabetes drug shortages to last until end of 2024, warns UK
This is not about insulin, but Ozempic and Wegovy, which are in short supply because of rapidly expanding use for weight loss.
Diabetes UK: Our response to serious supply issues of drugs for people with type 2 diabetes
The ongoing shortages of some GLP-1 medications are having serious implications for many people with type 2 diabetes and are still a major concern. With these shortages likely to last for at least the rest of this year, this will have an significant impact on whether some many people living with type 2 diabetes can access the best course of treatment for them.
We fully support the instruction that GLP-1 medications should not be prescribed off-label under any circumstances while there is an ongoing shortage impacting people with type 2 diabetes.
The current shortages are impacting on supplies of most the GLP-1 RA medications which include Ozempic, Trulicity, Victoza, Saxenda, Byetta, and Bydureon.
A limited amount of Wegovy and Saxenda is also available through specialist weight management services only.
DiaTribe: What to Know About Shortages for Humalog and Insulin Lispro Injection
Temporary shortages of the fast-acting insulin Humalog and its generic version may complicate diabetes care for people using pumps, automated insulin delivery, or on multiple daily injections. We spoke to experts about the best strategies to navigate insulin shortages.
Lilly announced that two of its insulins will be temporarily out of stock at distributors and some pharmacies through early April: the 10 mL vials of the fast-acting insulin Humalog and its generic version, called Insulin Lispro Injection.
Alongside these insulin shortages, Novo Nordisk has discontinued the long-acting insulin Levemir (insulin detemir). Levemir FlexPens were officially discontinued as of April 1, 2024 and vials of Levemir will not be available after December 31, 2024. This announcement is especially frustrating for many people with diabetes, as Levemir was one of the insulins included in Novo Nordisk’s price cuts.
There are reports of shortages from all around the US, and in other countries including Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Pakistan.
Why is UK being hit by medicine supply shortages?
TL;DR: Conservative government lunacy.
Global issues are factor but experts say there are problems peculiar to Britain such as rising costs post-Brexit.
As of 18 December, the list of medicinal shortages in the UK included 96 products, according to the British Generic Manufacturers Association. Thats is down on the 111 such shortages at the end of October but there have been a further 10 supply notifications from DHSC since then. The total is close to double the 52 medicines for which there was an issue in January 2022.
The trend over the last few years is clear. A 2023 pressures survey by Community Pharmacy England found that 92% of pharmacy teams were dealing with medicine supply issues daily, an increase from 67% the year before. They reported that 87% of pharmacy teams members believed patient health was being put at risk.
It is not just a UK phenomenon. A recent European Association of Hospital Pharmacists survey reported that 95% of hospital pharmacists across Europe were experiencing shortages. An EU medicines shortage working party met last month to discuss a critical shortage of five key medicines, with impediments to supply said to include the impact of the war in Ukraine on supply chains, a European Medicines Agency recommendation to suspend use of about 400 medicines tested by an Indian laboratory, as well as attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and the extra regulatory paperwork that arises in some chains of supply due to Brexit.
All these affect the UK too. But industry insiders say there are problems peculiar to Britain. The plummeting value of the pound following the Brexit referendum has made it more expensive for the NHS to buy medicines. Then there is the voluntary scheme introduced by the government in 2019 in an attempt to ensure that NHS spending on branded medicines did not grow by more than 2% in a year. As of the end of 2023, there was a 26% levy on revenues of drug manufacturers earned beyond the cap. The companies claim it has made the UK an unattractive place to do business. It has, they say, acted as a drag on investment. From this year that cap will rise to allow a 4% annual rise in spending. The British Generic Manufacturers Association says the government is still penny pinching.