AQW 21079/22-27

Mr Nick Mathison
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 22/01/2025
Answered On Date: 28/01/2025
Priority Written: Yes

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail any action he is taking to address supply shortages of epilepsy medication.

Answer:

Medicines are manufactured as part of a highly regulated, complex and global industry; therefore, medicine supply disruptions can occur for a variety of reasons and are not uncommon. Although, my Department is aware that there have been some supply disruptions affecting various strengths and preparations of epilepsy medications in recent times, most of these disruptions appear to have now been resolved.

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 to put in place tried and tested tools and processes should any disruptions arise. These existing tools and processes include communication to healthcare professionals such as National Patient Safety Alerts, Medicines Supply Notifications, NHS Specialist Pharmacy Services (SPS) resources including SPS medicines supply tool, and other mitigations such as Serious Shortage Protocols, additions to the export and hoarding ban list, additions to the NIMAR list, and the importation of medicines from other markets.

When recent supply disruptions were identified, some of these tools and processes were implemented to ensure patients continued to have access to appropriate anti-epileptic treatments

I also recently wrote to Wes Streeting MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and Karin Smyth MP, Minister of Health (Secondary Care), highlighting the impacts ongoing medicine shortages are having in NI and on the need for collaboration to improve the resilience of medicine supply chains across the UK. My Department remains committed to working with DHSC and the other devolved administrations to exploring options for improving the long term resilience of medicines supply to the UK.