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<p>The Department has a responsibility to work with United Kingdom medicine license
holders, to help ensure continuity of supply. We monitor and manage medicine supply
at a national level, so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand.
There are approximately 14,000 medicines licensed for supply in the UK, and the overwhelming
majority are in good supply. The medicine supply chain is complex, global, and highly
regulated, and supply issues can be caused by a range of factors. For example, suppliers
can encounter manufacturing problems, difficulty accessing raw materials, and surges
in demand. These are commonly cited as the drivers of recent supply issues, which
have affected many countries, not just the UK.</p><p>Whilst we can’t always prevent
supply issues, we have a range of well-established tools and processes to mitigate
risks to patients at a national level. These include close and regular engagement
with suppliers, use of alternative strengths or forms of a medicine to allow patients
to remain on the same product, expediting regulatory procedures, sourcing unlicensed
imports from abroad, adding products to the restricted exports and hoarding list,
use of Serious Shortage Protocols, and issuing National Health Service communications
to provide management advice and information on the issue to healthcare professionals
including pharmacists, so they can advise and support their patients.</p>
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