Medicines shortage proof pharmacists are not ‘crying wolf’ on Brexit
A medicines shortage following the Beast from the East is proof that pharmacists are not crying wolf over the threat of Brexit, warns the profession’s representative body.
Daragh Connolly, president of the Irish Pharmacy Union, said the Government needs to communicate with the industry as to what plans will be in place to offset any negative impact Britain’s exit from the EU will have on the medicines supply chain.
Mr Connolly said the costs in the supply chain have been driven down to the point that pharmacies and wholesalers cannot afford to hold onto stock, and the latter lacks the capacity to stock weeks’ worth of supplies.
The supply chain is now such a fine thread that if any stress is applied, it breaks.
Mr Connolly said any delay in that chain has a knock-on effect, adding that “80% of the drugs on my shelf came through the UK, be it through packaging, transport, or manufacturing”.
“Things are hanging by a very, very fine thread when it comes to supply, so a truck that would have previously taken one day to come from Dover that now takes three due to Brexit will hit supply.
You just need to look at the shortages we experienced after deliveries were delayed due to the snow earlier in the year to know we are not crying wolf.
Mr Connolly said something needs to be done at Government level to establish who will pay for extra stock and where will it be stored. “We need pharmacists to get the message out to politicians, regulators, and the Department of Health. This is coming in six months,” he said.
The industry’s other concern is that any regulatory divergence between Ireland and a post-Brexit Britain may see manufacturers pull out of the Irish market if it deems the cost of doing business here too prohibitive.
“Ireland has had access to the pharma market by piggybacking on the UK. Having some 60m people next door who speak the same language has been beneficial,” said Mr Connolly.
“If manufacturers have to produce different batches, or packaging, or marketing material for Ireland and that drives up costs, they might decide not to bother if they think it won’t pay them to do it.”
Mr Connolly said such scenarios could see pharmacists refer patients back to their doctors for a new prescription, or could mean customers would be forced to import medicines from another country at a greater expense.
