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<p>There are around 14,000 licensed medicines and the overwhelming majority are in
good supply. However, the medicine supply chain is highly regulated, complex, and
global, meaning there can sometimes be supply issues which affect the United Kingdom,
along with other countries around the world.</p><p>Medicine supply problems can occur
for several reasons such as manufacturing difficulties, regulatory non-compliance,
access to raw materials, sudden demand spikes or distribution issues.</p><p>While
it is not always possible to prevent supply issues from occurring, there is a team
within the Department that has a range of well-established tools and processes to
manage them when they arise, working closely with the pharmaceutical industry, the
National Health Service, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and
others operating in the supply chain to help mitigate the risks to patients.</p>
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