Pharmacies are facing worsening shortages of vital medication including blood pressure drugs and aspirin due to serious supply constraints and  NHS underfunding, sector leaders have warned. The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) recently sounded the alarm over widespread shortages of aspirin, which is needed to prevent heart attacks and strokes in some people. It follows shortages of blood pressure medications including propranolol and ramipril.

While some shortages have been caused by global supply constraints, chemists have warned that a shortfall between the cost of dispensing drugs and the amount pharmacies are reimbursed by the NHS is making the situation worse. The NPA said the price of a packet of aspirin 75mg dispersible tablets had risen from 18p earlier last year to £3.90 in January, however the NHS only reimburses pharmacies £2.18 per packet. Blood pressure drug Irbesartan similarly costs pharmacies £6.09 but they receive only £1.68 from the NHS, according to NPA analysis.

Henry Gregg, chief executive of the NPA, told the i Paper: “It is a scandal that all too often pharmacies are subsidising the cost of the nation’s medicines. It pushes pharmacies to the edge of closure and exacerbates chronic problems with medicine supply.

“The Government must stop funding pharmacies below the cost price of medicines — no other part of the NHS would tolerate this.”

A report by the Company Chemists’ Association (CAA) this week warned that pharmacy dispensing was creaking under record NHS demand and inflation.

CAA chief executive Malcolm Harrison said: “Dispensing, whilst often undervalued and overlooked, provides enormous benefits to patients, the NHS and taxpayers.

“Community pharmacies remain the cornerstone of local, accessible, high-quality healthcare, yet mounting pressures threaten their ability to fulfil this role.

“Decades of underfunding have weakened the sector, and without urgent investment and reform, patient access to essential services will be at risk.”

Pharmacy leaders have urged the Government to give them greater powers to substitute medicines to combat shortages.

They are currently restricted from making even simple substitutions for prescribed medications that are not in stock, forcing patients to contact their GP for a new prescription.

Dr Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association, said: “It is incredibly worrying to see shortages of essential medicines such as aspirin and blood pressure treatments appearing in pharmacies.

“These low stock levels are partly due to manufacturing delays, but also because pharmacies are simply unable to order the quantities they need.

“The reality is that the prices paid for many medicines by the NHS are so low that manufacturers often prioritise supplying other countries instead, leaving the UK pushed to the back of the queue.

“It is vital that the Government urgently reviews how medicines are reimbursed to pharmacies, otherwise these shortages will only worsen.

“In the meantime, anyone affected by a medicine shortage should speak to their local pharmacist, who is a highly trained healthcare professional and can advise on suitable alternatives where available.”