AQW 15766/22-27

Mr Danny Donnelly
Alliance Party
East Antrim

Tabled Date: 26/09/2024
Answered On Date: 10/10/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail the steps being taken to ensure the availability of GLP-1 medication for GPs to prescribe, despite current shortages across the United Kingdom.

Answer:

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) leads on the maintenance of medicine supply chains to the UK and works closely with the devolved administrations, including my Department and other operators within the supply chain. There are national and local tools and processes that can be put in place if a supply disruption occurs, including providing advice and guidance to GPs on the actions they can take to help mitigate the impact on patients.

Due to an increase in demand for glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) for licensed and off-label use, some strengths and preparations of these products have been experiencing limited and intermittent supplies across the UK since mid-2023. As a consequence, several national and local tools and processes have been implemented during this time to ensure patients with type-2 diabetes can continue to have access to appropriate treatments.

Through national and local medicines shortage management groups, agreed communications have been issued to healthcare professionals involved in the prescribing and dispensing of GLP-1 RAs, including GPs. These communications have included National Patient Safety Alerts, and as the supply situation of some GLP-1 RA products has improved, a Medicine Supply Notification was issued on 19 March 2024 for semaglutide, dulaglutide and liraglutide, providing updated advice and actions to take to ensure patients can continue to have access to appropriate treatments for their type-2 diabetes diagnosis.

The NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS) also provides advice to healthcare professionals on prescribing available GLP-1 RAs. As well as this, healthcare professionals in Northern Ireland (NI), including GPs and pharmacists, are encouraged to register on the SPS website and use the SPS medicines supply tool, which is updated regularly by DHSC, for the most up-to-date advice on medicines shortages.

Additionally, GLP-1 RAs were added to a list which prevents the hoarding and export of medicines from the UK on 17 June 2023. These products remain on the list ensuring any GLP-1 RA stock residing in the UK can be made available to patients.

In terms of local mitigations, GLP-1 RAs were added to the NI Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) Authorised Route (NIMAR) list. Addition to the NIMAR list permits the movement of medicines authorised for the Great Britain (GB) market to be supplied to NI. This has ensured patients in NI can continue to have the same access to stock as those in GB.

My Department will continue to work with DHSC and the other devolved administrations, through agreed medicines shortage management groups, to ensure any additional steps, deemed appropriate, can be put in place to make GLP-1 RAs available for GPs to prescribe.