NHS drug warning as two new meds used by millions face shortage – are you affected?

THE NHS has revealed that two essential medicines used to prevent strokes and treat allergies are out of stock, putting millions at risk. Drug shortages reached a record high earlier this year with pharmacists warning the situation is “deeply alarming”. Two essential medicines used to treat allergies and prevent strokes are currently out of stock Credit: PA Edoxaban 15mg tablets, sold under the brand name Lixiana, are one of the drugs experiencing a shortage Credit: Alamy The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) issued two medicine supply notifications on Tuesday for methylprednisolone and edoxaban. The first, methylprednisolone, is a steroid given to people with several inflammatory conditions, including arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, ulcerative colitis and allergies. Sign up for the Health newsletter Thank you! And edoxaban – also known as Lixiana – is an anticoagulant that helps to prevent blood clots and lower the risk of stroke. The blood thinner is typically given to people with a heart rhythm problem called atrial fibrillation. Read more on drug shortages Methylprednisolone 100mg tablets – also known as Medrone – will be out of stock until the week commencing October 5, the DHSC said. Meanwhile, edoxaban 15mg tablets will be out of stock until mid September, it added. Together, these shortages could affect millions up and down the country. The two medicine supply notifications come as drug shortages in England reached a record high in April, with one pharmacist saying it was “the “worst” he’d ever known. Most read in Health Olivier Picard, chair of the National Pharmacy Association, told Sun Health at the time that these shortages were an indication of “a system under immense strain”. “Yet another month of record-breaking price concessions is deeply alarming,” he said. The government’s price concessions list – which features any medicines pharmacies have to pay above the NHS fixed price for – had a record breaking 210 medications on it in April. 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. Methylprednisolone 100mg tablets are also currently out of stock, according to the government Credit: Alamy These supply issues come as drug shortages reached a record high earlier this year Credit: PA 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. Also commenting on the record breaking drug shortages, Dr Leyla Hannbeck, CEO of the Independent Pharmacies Association, said: “Community pharmacies across the country are experiencing high levels of medicines shortage, from common blood pressure medicines to cancer medicines. “We wrote a letter to the previous health secretary Wes Streeting warning of the worsening medicines supply issues but we never heard back from him.“ Meanwhile, a serious shortage protocol – issued by the DHSC when there is a serious shortage – was extended for the eighth time last month for a life-saving cancer drug. Creon – used by people with pancreatic cancer, cystic fibrosis and chronic pancreatitis – has faced supply issues since 2024 and Brits who rely on the drug are now left facing a shortage until early October, if not later. People with these conditions require Creon to be able to digest food as it helps to break down carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Patients can suffer from severe diarrhoea, weight loss, and malnutrition if they can’t get hold of the drug. And pharmacists also warned last month that shortages of a hormone replacement therapy (HRT) product used by millions may soon get worse. Amid this situation, there are a handful of medications that are particularly at risk of facing supply issues – from certain beta-blockers to antidepressants. 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 223 medicines on it. These are: Alfentanil 1mg/2ml solution for injection ampoules Acamprosate 333mg gastro-resistant tablets Aceclofenac 100mg tablets Aciclovir 400mg tablets 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 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 Dapagliflozin 10mg tablets Desmopressin 120microgram sublingual tablets sugar free Dexamethasone 0.1% eye drops 0.3ml unit dose preservative free 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 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 1g powder for solution for injection vials Flucloxacillin 250mg powder for solution for injection vials Flucloxacillin 250mg/5ml oral solution 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 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 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 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 Ropinirole 250microgram tablets Ropinirole 2mg tablets Sertraline 100mg tablets Sertraline 50mg tablets Simvastatin 40mg tablets Sotalol 80mg tablets Sumatriptan 100mg tablets Sumatriptan 50mg tablets Tamoxifen 20mg tablets 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, August 2026 Comment now