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Written question asked by Earl Howe (Conservative) on Wednesday, 22 July 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 5 August 2026. It was answered by Baroness Merron (Labour) on Wednesday, 9 September 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Drugs: Supply Chains

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the resilience of NHS medicines supply chains following recent shortages including Creon, insulin, ADHD medicine and blood pressure treatments; and whether they have identified any other medicines considered at particular risk of future disruption.

Answer

There are approximately 14,000 licensed medicines and the overwhelming majority are in good supply. Medicine supply chains are complex, global and highly regulated and there are several reasons why supply can be disrupted, many of which are not specific to the United Kingdom and outside of Government control. These include manufacturing difficulties, access to raw materials, sudden demand spikes, or distribution and regulatory issues.

The Department uses a sophisticated, multi-layered approach to monitor, assess, and respond to medicines at risk of future supply disruption. Intelligence is drawn from a wide range of sources, including our existing communication channels with our partners in the National Health Service, suppliers, industry, and international partners. In 2020, the Department developed a global risk register which draws on information on medicines licensed in the UK to map manufacturing touchpoints within the supply chain. It is used to help understand medicines supply chains vulnerability and risk.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL2532
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Drugs Shortages Supply chains
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk