Pharmacists struggle to meet demand for menopause treatment products

Hormone replacement therapy has been called “life-changing” for women.

The “unprecedented” demand for menopause treatment in Ireland is putting pharmacists under pressure to fill more and more prescriptions from limited supplies.

Increased awareness of the benefits of HRT (hormone replacement therapy) has seen more women seek help for menopause symptoms. Rebecca Barry, supervising pharmacist of Lloyds Pharmacy in Castletroy, Limerick said: “There has been a massive increase in the amount of HRT being prescribed. 

Today alone I had at least six prescriptions that I had supply issues with the HRT prescribed, and that is every single day. 

"Every day, for months now, there are at least two if not more HRT products unavailable.” She compared it to the shortage of surgical masks at the start of the pandemic.  “Supply has very much been outstripped by demand,” she said.

The problem is so acute some GPs list HRT substitutes on prescriptions so women do not have to keep going back for new prescriptions, she said.

In Dublin, Victoria Jones, owner and pharmacist at Bonnybrook Pharmacy, said: “It’s a huge problem. It’s kind of exploded and the drug companies haven’t caught up yet.” 

She said when patches go out of supply, women switch to gels and then gels go short. “The companies are producing more, but it is a worldwide issue, not just Ireland,” she said. “I spend most of my days off literally tracking down stock.” 

Both pharmacists referred to HRT as “life-changing” and welcomed the surge in interest.

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A spokesman for the Irish Pharmacy Union said: “There have been supply issues with a number of different HRT products at different points in time over the last couple of years, so alternatives have not always been consistently available.” 

Estradot patches, manufactured by Novartis, are out of stock until July.

A spokeswoman said: “There has been a significant increase in demand, driven by the increased awareness of HRT and the menopause during 2021.” She said the company has “significantly increased” supply since 2021.

A spokeswoman for Besins Healthcare which makes Oestrogel gel products said they have also increased supply and expect this gel to be restocked later this month. 

“In the last few months, there has been unprecedented demand for HRT products in Ireland. This demand has meant our safety stocks have become depleted and we have exhausted all stock in the country," she said.