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Written question asked by Rebecca Paul (Conservative) on Monday, 8 June 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 10 June 2026. It was answered by Preet Kaur Gill (Labour) on Tuesday, 16 June 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Generic Prescribing: Shortages

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of conflict in the Middle East on the supply of generic medicines to the UK.

Answer

The Department is closely monitoring the Middle East conflict to assess any potential impact on United Kingdom medical supply chains through disruptions to manufacturing and logistics.

There have been limited impacts on generic medicines and the wider medical supply chain to date. We have limited direct exposure to the Middle East for medical products, and maintain well-established contingency arrangements to manage supply disruptions where these occur. These can include coordination of mutual aid, work to identify alternative products, alternative clinical practices, regulatory easements, and/or use of the Express Freight Service which can provide bespoke global logistics services in the event of critical supply disruption.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
7909
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Armed conflict Middle East Shortages Generic prescribing
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk