Diclofenac (Voltarol Ophtha) 0.1% eye drops 0.3ml unit dose preservative free are out of stock until early October 2025, according to a medicine supply notification issued by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
Ketorolac 0.5% eye drops, bromfenac 0.9mg/ml eye drops, and nepafenac 1mg/ml and 3mg/ml eye drops remain available to support increased demand – although it should be noted that all of these alternatives contain the preservative benzalkonium chloride.
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Diclofenac (Voltarol Ophtha Multidose) 0.1% eye drops – which also contain benzalkonium chloride – are currently out of stock until late July 2025, but are expected to support demand once back in stock.
Preservative free corticosteroid eye drops remain available.
The DHSC has advised pharmacy teams to refer to the Medicines Supply Tool for the latest information, including any changes to resupply dates and further updates.
New shortages not listed on the Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS) website can be reported using the shortage reporting tool on the Community Pharmacy England website.
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This latest supply issue comes after the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Pharmacy recently warned that medicines shortages have become ‘a permanent and escalating’ threat to patient care, placing an unsustainable burden on pharmacy teams and disrupting the safe delivery of treatment across England.
In addition, a recent Healthwatch England survey uncovered persistent problems experienced by pharmacy patients in accessing medication due to supply-side issues, while Community Pharmacy England (CPE) research found that one in four pharmacy teams are now spending more than two hours each day sourcing alternatives for their patients.
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As part of the government’s recently published 10-year NHS plan, a new approach to approving and adopting medicines is set to be introduced in England – with the aim of getting innovative treatments to patients more quickly.
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