Full list of all 243 NHS medicines in shortest supply as drugs crisis deepens – is yours on the list?

MORE than 200 drugs now remain in short supply amid a major drugs crisis affecting the UK. Drug shortages reached a record high earlier this year with pharmacies describing the situation as “deeply alarming” and since then, the situation has only worsened. Drug shortages reached a record high earlier this year and are still continuing Credit: PA Some of the drugs in short supply will face these issues until 2027 Credit: Getty Earlier this month, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) warned that two essential medicines to prevent strokes and treat allergies are out of stock. And just last week, it ordered pharmacists to ration a common heartburn drug until 2027. Sign up for the Health newsletter Thank you! Other drugs experiencing supply issues include blood pressure medicines, HRT and a life-saving cancer drug, putting millions of Brits at risk. Pharmacy bodies have repeatedly called on the Government to tackle supply chain issues, warning that the current situation poses a “serious risk to patient safety”. Read more on drug shortages By the end of August, the government’s price concessions list – which indicates which drugs are in short supply – featured 243 medications. At the moment, the NHS pays pharmacies a fixed price for each medicine they dispense and pharmacists have to try and source the drug at this amount, or less. But when the price of a drug goes above what the NHS pays, it is placed on the price concessions list. Some medications are becoming harder to obtain because of surging global prices and the fact that government funding has not kept up with rising costs. Most read in Health When market prices rise suddenly, pharmacies end up dispensing medication at a loss, meaning they are not fully reimbursed by the NHS. This then makes it harder for pharmacies to buy enough stock for their patients, increasing the likelihood that people will face delays or sudden shortages. What’s more, this also means pharmacists are having to spend hours sourcing medication while GPs are having to alter prescriptions to account for supply issues. Medicines on the prices concessions list at the end of August included cardiovascular medications, antidepressants, gastrointestinal medications – from anti-sickness to IBS treatments – HRT and pain relief drugs. Edoxaban 15mg tablets, which helps prevent blood clots and lowers stroke risk, are one of the drugs experiencing a shortage Credit: Alamy Pharmacy leaders have called on the government to put together a task force to tackle medicine shortages Credit: PA The Sun has compiled the full list of 246 medicines below. Drug shortages in England initially reached a “record high” in April, with one pharmacist saying it was “the worst” he’d ever known. Olivier Picard, chair of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), told Sun Health at the time that these shortages were an indication of “a system under immense strain”. As well as a price concessions list, the government also issues serious supply protocols (SSPs) when there is a serious supply issue or shortage of a medicine. At the moment, there are nine different medications on it: Two doses of lansoprazole, which treats heartburn, acid reflux and stomach ulcers. Supply for both is not set to resume to normal until 2027. Ramipril – a blood pressure medication. The SSP is due to expire on October 30. Four doses of estradot, a hormone replacement therapy (HRT). All doses should be in normal supply again by October 2. Two doses of creon – used by people with pancreatic cancer, cystic fibrosis and chronic pancreatitis. It is required to allow people with these conditions to digest food. When an SSP is issued, it means that patients relying on the drug won’t be able to get more than a month’s supply at a time for as long as the notice is in place. In light of this ongoing supply crisis, the NPA has called on the government to “allow pharmacists to make appropriate [medication] substitutions to ensure patients do not have to go back to their GP to find an alternative”. Mr Picard said: “Pharmacies are increasingly facing supply problems affecting everyday medicines on which millions rely upon, with some describing shortages as the worst they have ever experienced. “Whilst the medicine supply chain is complex, the rising problem of shortages across a wide range of medicines is extremely worrying for patients and heart-breaking for pharmacists who go to great lengths to ensure they don’t turn them away.” He called on the Health Secretary Yvette Cooper to urgently put together a task force in order to tackle medicine shortages and global medicine supply chain issues. The full list of price concessions in England When pharmacies cannot source a drug at or below the reimbursement price, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) can introduce a price concession. The price concessions list is updated every month and by the end of August 2026, there were 243 medicines on it. These are: Acamprosate 333mg gastro-resistant tablets Aceclofenac 100mg tablets Aciclovir 400mg tablets Alfacalcidol 500nanogram capsules Alfentanil 1mg/2ml solution for injection ampoules Amiodarone 200mg tablets Amoxicillin 250mg/5ml oral suspension Apixaban 2.5mg tablets Apixaban 5mg tablets Aqueous cream Aripiprazole 10mg tablets Ascorbic acid 100mg tablets Ascorbic acid 200mg tablets Ascorbic acid 500mg tablets Aspirin 75mg dispersible tablets Aspirin 75mg gastro-resistant tablets Aspirin 75mg tablets Atomoxetine 10mg capsules Atomoxetine 40mg capsules Atomoxetine 60mg capsules Atomoxetine 80mg capsules Atorvastatin 60mg tablets Azathioprine 50mg tablets Bendroflumethiazide 2.5mg tablets Betahistine 16mg tablets Bicalutamide 150mg tablets Bicalutamide 50mg tablets Bisoprolol 1.25mg tablets Bisoprolol 10mg tablets Bisoprolol 2.5mg tablets Bisoprolol 3.75mg tablets Bisoprolol 5mg tablets Bisoprolol 7.5mg tablets Candesartan 16mg tablets Candesartan 2mg tablets Candesartan 32mg tablets Candesartan 4mg tablets Candesartan 8mg tablets Carvedilol 12.5mg tablets Carvedilol 25mg tablets Carvedilol 3.125mg tablets Carvedilol 6.25mg tablets Chloramphenicol 0.5% eye drops Chloramphenicol 1% eye ointment Chlordiazepoxide 10mg capsules Chlordiazepoxide 5mg capsules Chlorpromazine 25mg tablets Chlorpromazine 50mg tablets Clomipramine 25mg capsules Clonazepam 2mg/5ml oral solution sugar free Clotrimazole 500mg pessaries Clotrimazole 500mg pessary and Clotrimazole 2% cream Co-amilofruse 5mg/40mg tablets Co-amilozide 2.5mg/25mg tablets Co-amilozide 5mg/50mg tablets Co-codamol 15mg/500mg tablets Co-codamol 8mg/500mg capsules Co-codamol 8mg/500mg effervescent tablets Codeine 15mg tablets Codeine 30mg tablets Colecalciferol 1,000unit capsules Co-trimoxazole 80mg/400mg tablets Cyanocobalamin 50microgram tablets Dabigatran etexilate 110mg capsules Dabigatran etexilate 150mg capsules Dapagliflozin 10mg tablets Desmopressin 120microgram sublingual tablets sugar free Dexamethasone 0.1% eye drops 0.3ml unit dose preservative free Dexamfetamine 5mg tablets Diclofenac sodium 50mg gastro-resistant tablets Digoxin 125microgram tablets Digoxin 250microgram tablets Digoxin 62.5microgram tablets Dipyridamole 200mg modified-release capsules Domperidone 1mg/ml oral suspension sugar free Doxazosin 4mg tablets Enalapril 2.5mg tablets Eplerenone 25mg tablets Eplerenone 50mg tablets Erythromycin 250mg gastro-resistant tablets Erythromycin ethyl succinate 125mg/5ml oral suspension Erythromycin ethyl succinate 125mg/5ml oral suspension sugar free Erythromycin ethyl succinate 250mg/5ml oral suspension Erythromycin ethyl succinate 250mg/5ml oral suspension sugar free Esomeprazole 20mg gastro-resistant tablets Esomeprazole 40mg gastro-resistant tablets Ezetimibe 10mg tablets Fenofibrate micronised 200mg capsules Fesoterodine 4mg modified-release tablets Fesoterodine 8mg modified-release tablets Fexofenadine 180mg tablets Flecainide 100mg tablets Flecainide 50mg tablets Flucloxacillin 125mg/5ml oral solution Flucloxacillin 1g powder for solution for injection vials Flucloxacillin 250mg powder for solution for injection vials Flucloxacillin 250mg/5ml oral solution Flucloxacillin 250mg/5ml oral solution sugar free Flucloxacillin 500mg powder for solution for injection vials Fluoxetine 10mg capsules Fluoxetine 20mg/5ml oral solution Fluoxetine 20mg/5ml oral solution sugar free Folic acid 400microgram tablets Gabapentin 300mg capsules Gabapentin 50mg/ml oral solution sugar free Gliclazide 160mg tablets Gliclazide 40mg tablets Glucose powder for oral use BP 1980 Glycopyrronium bromide 600micrograms/3ml solution for injection ampoules Haloperidol 1.5mg tablets Haloperidol 5mg tablets Hydrocortisone 1% cream Hydrocortisone 1% ointment Hydroxychloroquine 200mg tablets Hyoscine butylbromide 20mg/1ml solution for injection ampoules Indapamide 1.5mg modified-release tablets Indapamide 2.5mg tablets Indometacin 25mg capsules Indometacin 50mg capsules Isosorbide mononitrate 30mg tablets Itraconazole 100mg capsules Labetalol 100mg tablets Lacidipine 4mg tablets Lacosamide 200mg tablets Lamotrigine 100mg tablets Lamotrigine 200mg tablets Lamotrigine 25mg tablets Lansoprazole 15mg orodispersible tablets Lansoprazole 30mg orodispersible tablets Leflunomide 10mg tablets Leflunomide 20mg tablets Levetiracetam 100mg/ml oral solution sugar free Levetiracetam 1g tablets Levetiracetam 750mg tablets Levothyroxine sodium 12.5microgram tablets Levothyroxine sodium 75microgram tablets Lisinopril 10mg tablets Lisinopril 20mg tablets Lofepramine 70mg tablets Loratadine 5mg/5ml oral solution Lymecycline 408mg capsules Melatonin 2mg modified-release tablets Meloxicam 15mg tablets Meloxicam 7.5mg tablets Metformin 1g modified-release tablets Metoclopramide 10mg tablets Mirtazapine 15mg orodispersible tablets Mirtazapine 15mg tablets Mirtazapine 30mg orodispersible tablets Mirtazapine 30mg tablets Mirtazapine 45mg orodispersible tablets Mirtazapine 45mg tablets Modafinil 100mg tablets Mometasone 0.1% cream Morphine sulfate 10mg/1ml solution for injection ampoules Naftidrofuryl 100mg capsules Nefopam 30mg tablets Nicorandil 10mg tablets Nicorandil 20mg tablets Nicotine 4mg medicated chewing gum sugar free Nifedipine 10mg capsules Nifedipine 5mg capsules Nortriptyline 10mg tablets Nortriptyline 25mg tablets Nortriptyline 50mg tablets Ondansetron 4mg tablets Orlistat 120mg capsules Oxybutynin 10mg modified-release tablets Oxybutynin 2.5mg tablets Oxybutynin 5mg modified-release tablets Oxybutynin 5mg tablets Oxycodone 5mg/5ml oral solution sugar free Oxytetracycline 250mg tablets Paracetamol 500mg tablets Perindopril erbumine 8mg tablets Phenobarbital 15mg tablets Phenobarbital 30mg tablets Phenobarbital 60mg tablets Pregabalin 100mg capsules Pregabalin 150mg capsules Pregabalin 200mg capsules Pregabalin 225mg capsules Pregabalin 50mg capsules Pregabalin 75mg capsules Prochlorperazine 3mg buccal tablets Progesterone micronised 100mg capsules Promethazine hydrochloride 25mg tablets Propantheline bromide 15mg tablets Prucalopride 2mg tablets Pyridostigmine bromide 60mg tablets Quetiapine 25mg tablets Quinine sulfate 300mg tablets Rabeprazole 10mg gastro-resistant tablets Rabeprazole 20mg gastro-resistant tablets Ramipril 1.25mg capsules Ramipril 1.25mg tablets Ramipril 10mg capsules Ramipril 10mg tablets Ramipril 2.5mg capsules Ramipril 2.5mg tablets Ramipril 5mg capsules Ramipril 5mg tablets Ranolazine 375mg modified-release tablets Ranolazine 500mg modified-release tablets Ranolazine 750mg modified-release tablets Rivaroxaban 10mg tablets Rivaroxaban 15mg tablets Rivaroxaban 20mg tablets Rivastigmine 1.5mg capsules Rivastigmine 3mg capsules Ropinirole 250microgram tablets Ropinirole 2mg tablets Senna 7.5mg tablets Sertraline 100mg tablets Sertraline 50mg tablets Simvastatin 40mg tablets Sotalol 80mg tablets Sumatriptan 100mg tablets Sumatriptan 50mg tablets Tamoxifen 20mg tablets Tamsulosin 400microgram / Dutasteride 500microgram capsules Tapentadol 50mg modified-release capsules Ticagrelor 90mg tablets Timolol 0.5% eye drops Travoprost 40micrograms/ml eye drops Trihexyphenidyl 2mg tablets Venlafaxine 37.5mg tablets Venlafaxine 75mg tablets Verapamil 40mg tablets Vitamins A and D capsules BPC 1973 Warfarin 1mg tablets Zolpidem 10mg tablets Source: Community Pharmacy England Comment now