New medicines supply inquiry hopes to ‘alleviate pressure on pharmacies’

An inquiry into England’s ability to ‘predict and prevent’ medicine supply issues has been launched by the House of Lords Public Services Committee.

Those behind the inquiry said it hopes to help ‘alleviate pressure on pharmacies’ and provide ‘better medical care to patients’.

Pharmacies, wholesalers, manufacturers and patients have been asked to submit written evidence to the investigation, which will focus on the effectiveness of current strategies to tackle medicine supply issues.

The cross-party committee is looking to explore how different parts of the supply chain monitor stock levels, anticipate changes in supply, and procure stock, as well as other strategies to prevent shortages.

It also wants to understand the country’s ‘resilience’ to challenges in procurement, supply and distribution.

As part of its call for written evidence – which must be submitted by 23 September – the committee will ask:

• What are the causes of medicine supply chain issues in the UK?
• How do government and primary and secondary care providers monitor stock levels across different parts of the supply chain and how effective is this monitoring?
• To what extent is the government able to predict supply chain issues before they occur?
• What impact do procurement policies within primary and secondary care have on supply chain resilience and how could these be improved?
• To what extent is the UK an attractive market for investment at all stages of the pharmaceutical supply chain, including research, manufacturing, and supply?

Alongside a call for written evidence, the committee will also be holding oral evidence sessions before producing a report with recommendations to ‘improve all aspects of the supply of medicine in England’ in early 2026.

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The committee said it was ‘keen to hear innovative solutions to increasing the capacity to predict and prevent supply issues in England in both primary and secondary care’.

‘In particular, we would be interested to hear thoughts on England’s current and potential domestic manufacturing capacity and the viability of this as a means of preventing medicine supply issues,’ it added.

Baroness Morris of Yardley, chair of the House of Lords Public Services Committee said: ‘The medical supply chain has become increasingly complex encompassing sourcing, manufacturing, distribution and delivery of medicines on a global scale.

‘For this reason, the supply chain has become more vulnerable to events including natural disasters, international conflict and disease outbreaks.

‘Such global issues have the potential to seriously affect the resilience of our medical supply in England and most importantly, potentially damage the health of patients.’

She added: ‘As a result, we are interested in understanding how effective the current strategies in England are for predicting and preventing supply chain issues across both primary and secondary care, and their future resilience in the face of different challenges and threats.

‘We’ll also be looking to hear evidence on any innovative solutions there might be to the issues identified during the course of our inquiry, and how to better predict and prevent any future medicine supply problems.

‘Doing this should alleviate pressure on pharmacies, the NHS and also provide better medical care to patients.’

Last month, MPs found that medicine shortages were a ‘systematic threat’ to care, placing a huge burden on pharmacy teams and disrupting the delivery of treatment across England.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group’s (APPG) inquiry into the issue revealed that supply chain issues were now a routine occurrence, with 84% of pharmacists and 75% of prescribers reporting daily shortages.

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A different report by Healthwatch England sought the views of 7,029 adults, with many reporting persistent problems with medicine supply. Almost one in four respondents said they had been unable to access the medication they needed in the past 12 months because their pharmacy had run out.

Zoe Long, director of communications, corporate and public affairs at Community Pharmacy England, said the negotiator welcomed this latest inquiry and that it would be submitting evidence to help inform it.

‘Disruptions in the medicines supply chain continue to impact patients and adds to the huge pressures on community pharmacies,’ she said.

‘We hope this inquiry will both draw further attention to the relentless work of pharmacy teams and help to press for the reforms needed to stabilise supply.’

Gareth Jones, National Pharmacy Association (NPA) director of corporate affairs, said: ‘Medicines shortages have become a frustrating fact of life for pharmacy teams across the UK, who are at the sharp end of the problems, with their patients.

‘Our members work extremely hard to get medicines to people promptly, but they under enormous pressure and the situation is frequently beyond their control.

‘There have been previous parliamentary inquiries into medicines shortages, but it is good that the House of Lords is giving further scrutiny to the matter and keeping up the pressure for change.’

And he pointed to a recommendation by the All Party Pharmacy Group to allow pharmacists to use their professional judgment to supply an appropriate alternative medication when the prescribed version is unavailable.

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Tase Oputu, Royal Pharmaceutical Society England Pharmacy Board chair, said: ‘Medicines shortages are a growing challenge for both patients and pharmacists, adding further pressure to the workforce and across the NHS.

‘We hope this inquiry leads to practical solutions that improve medicine access and patient care.’