Aspirin shortages raised in parliament by concerned Shropshire MP
An MP has raised concerns over a shortage of aspirin in the House of Commons.
Speaking on the issue from the benches in parliament Wrekin Conservative MP, Mark Pritchard, said that aspirin is used by residents across his constituency, adding that he had never known of a shortage before.
He called on the government to intervene to ensure supply chains are restored.
Last month it was reported that pharmacies were experiencing widespread shortages of aspirin, which is needed to prevent stroke and heart attacks in some people.
The Government had recently added aspirin to its export ban list to protect supplies for UK patients.
Speaking in January The National Pharmacy Association (NPA), which represents around 6,000 pharmacies, and the Independent Pharmacies Association, which represents more than 5,000, were among those saying they are struggling to source the drug, with manufacturing delays partly to blame.
The NPA said pharmacists in the UK had told it they have been tightly rationing supplies of aspirin for patients with the most acute heart conditions or those in need of emergency prescriptions.
Raising the issue Mr Pritchard said: "Aspirin is needed by many hundreds of people across The Wrekin every week.
"The current shortage is having real life impacts on people, so the government needs to ensure the supply chains are fully restored as soon as possible.
"I've never known a shortage of aspirin before, which shows the extent to which Labour ministers are failing to get a grip of the root causes of how and why this has happened."
Responding to the question Dr Zubir Ahmed, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health Innovation and Safety, said supplies are expected to return to normal over the coming weeks.
He said: "The Department is aware of a recent disruption to the supply of aspirin dispersible tablets and are working with suppliers to understand the causes and aid a return to normal supply as soon as possible.
"Supply issues have been addressed, and stock is regularly being made available for pharmacies to order.
"We are working with all partners in the supply chain, including manufacturers and United Kingdom distributors, to ensure maximum accessibility to pharmacies and hospitals irrespective of where they are in the country.
"The Department will continue to monitor the situation and expects supplies to return to normal over the coming weeks."
