MPs urge UK Government to
maintain drug supplies post-Brexit
MPs have called on the UK’s
Government to guarantee the
continuity of medicine supplies after
Britain exits the European Union in
March next year.
A report published by a
parliamentary select committee called
the Public Accounts Committee (PAC)
on Friday 12 October urged the UK’s
Department of Health and Social Care
(DHSC) to share its action plan by
December to ensure medicine supplies
and address price increases before and
after the UK leaves the EU.
In June, Government auditors the
National Audit Office (NAO) revealed
that 708 concessionary prices granted
by the DHSC were set “higher than
necessary’” above wholesalers’ prices,
resulting in an additional cost of £86.3m.
Despite new regulations allowing
the DHSC to collect information from
manufacturers and wholesalers on
generic medicine prices and limit
prices, PAC chair – the MP for Hackney
South and Shoreditch Meg Hillier –
argued that the Government has failed
to set out a full range of actions to
tackle future price increases.
She said: “The impact of last year’s
generic drug price increases should
have served as a wake-up call to
Government.
“Yet while the DHSC now has new
powers at its disposal, it could not
explain to us how these will better
enable it to handle similar price increases
and related shortages in the future.”
She continued: “This is
unacceptable and doubly worrying in
the context of uncertainty over supply
chains after Brexit, particularly for
medicines with a short shelf life.”
The PAC is expecting the
Government to reveal its plans by
December to ensure patients access
their medicines and to reduce the
impact of price rises on “stretched
NHS resources”, Ms Hillier added.
A DHSC spokesperson told our
sister publication The Pharmacist
on 15 October: “We’re working
closely with partners to ensure
adequate stockpiles are in place for all
medicines which may be affected in
the event of a no-deal Brexit.”
They added: “Our number one
priority is to ensure that patients have
access to safe and effective medicines
– and we have some of the cheapest
drug prices in Europe.”
In its report, the PAC pointed out
the extra efforts pharmacies had to
make to obtain out-of-stock medicines
following manufacturing issues last
spring.
Pregabalin and gabapentin
reclassified as class C drugs
Pregabalin and gabapentin will
be reclassified as class C drugs
next year following a rising numbers
of deaths linked to the drugs, the UK
Government has said.
The Home Office announced on
15 October that the prescription-only
anti-convulsant medicines will be
reclassified from April 2019.
Under the changes, pregabalin
and gabapentin will face
tighter controls to help
prevent people from
stockpiling, misusing
and becoming addicted
to the drugs, minister
for crime, safeguarding
and vulnerability Victoria
Atkins said.
This means that it will be
illegal for people to possess the drugs
without a prescription, which will
have to be physically signed by the GP
before being accepted in a pharmacy.
Pharmacists will also be required to
dispense the drugs within 28 days of
the prescription being issued.
The drugs can cause elevated mood,
but can have serious side effects,
particularly when used in combination
with other drugs, the Home Office said.
This follows a consultation
launched last year, which looked at
whether the two medicines should be
controlled as class C drugs under the
Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and defined
as schedule 3 drugs as part of the
Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001.
Ms Atkins said: ‘While
drug misuse is lower now
than it was 10 years ago,
we remain committed to
reducing it and the harm
it causes.
‘That is why we have
published a comprehensive
strategy to tackle the illicit
drug trade, protect the most
vulnerable and help those with drug
dependency to recover and turn their
lives around.’
According to the Home Office,
pregabalin and gabapentin are often
used by people who misuse opioids,
highly resulting in criminal behaviour
to try and get hold of the drugs.
News in brief
European Commission grants
marketing authorisation for
Kigabeq
The European Commission has granted
Kigabeq paediatric use marketing
authorisation (PUMA) following the
recommendation of the Committee
for Medicinal Products for Human Use
(CHMP).
Kigabeq is meant for the treatment
of infantile spasms, or West’s
syndrome, which is an uncommon and
severe form of epilepsy associated
with a highly-resistant seizure type and
a rapid psychomotor regression. It can
also be used to treat partial epilepsy in
infants and children from one month to
seven years of age.
Antidepressants have more
severe withdrawal symptoms
than guidelines suggest, says research
Millions of antidepressant users could
experience “severe withdrawals”
if they cut down or come off their
medication, according to a new review.
The study, published on 2 October
in the Journal of Addictive Behaviours
found that over half of patients
(56%) who stop or reduce their
antidepressants experience withdrawal
symptoms, with 46% of those reporting
their symptoms as severe.
UK patients told to use some
EpiPens up to four months past
expiry date amid shortages
Patients with severe allergies can use
certain batches of EpiPen four months
after their expiry date, the Government
has said.
In a supply alert issued on
28 September, the Department of
Health and Social Care (DHSC) said
that patients can use some batches
of EpiPen and EpiPen Junior, due to
limited availability for the remainder
of 2018.
hospitalpharmacyeurope.com | 2018 | Issue 90 | 7