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<p>There are approximately 14,000 licensed medicines, and the overwhelming majority
are in good supply. However, the medicine supply chain is highly regulated, complex,
and global, and supply disruption is an issue which affects countries all around the
world.</p><p>There are a number of reasons why supply can be disrupted, including
manufacturing difficulties, regulatory non-compliance, access to raw materials, sudden
demand spikes, or distribution issues. Supply issues are driven by a range of factors,
many of which are non-specific to the United Kingdom.</p><p>Whilst we can’t always
prevent supply issues from occurring, the Department has a range of well-established
processes and tools to manage them when they arise, and help mitigate risks to patients.
We work closely with industry, the National Health Service, and others, to develop
bespoke mitigation plans, which are tailored to each issue, to help ensure patients
continue to have access to the medicines they need.</p>
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