image source, hannah hiles
For 25 years, Hannah Hiles has managed her symptoms with a drug called Tegretol.
- author, Richard Price
- role, BBC News, West Midlands
One woman said she was forced to make a 190-mile round trip to obtain vital medical supplies due to nationwide shortages.
Hannah Hyles, from Staffordshire, has epilepsy and has been taking the drug Tegretol for 25 years to control her symptoms.
Mr Hiles, from Newcastle-under-Lyme, has not had a seizure since he started taking the drug, which he could only find in London pharmacies.
The Department of Health and Human Services said it is taking immediate action to improve supplies and working with health care providers to ensure patients receive the care they need.
The BBC understands there are also drug shortages to treat ADHD, diabetes, HRT and cancer.
my aunt got the medicine
Ms Hiles, 44, a communications manager for the charity, said she noticed the shortage in January and began keeping a close eye on local pharmacies to see when they would be stocked again.
She asked family members in other parts of the country to do the same, and eventually found a box containing the drug in London.
She called the pharmacy, had her GP email the prescription, and asked her aunt to pick up the box.
She then drove more than 60 miles to Coventry, where her aunt drove from London to pick her up.
“I’ve lived a completely normal, standard life for 25 years. I don’t think about it on a daily basis,” Mrs. Hiles said.
image source, hannah hiles
Mrs Hyles eventually procured the drug from a London pharmacy.
“I’ve never taken any other type of epilepsy medication. This is all I know so far,” she said.
“I was very worried when I found out that the type I was taking was in short supply.”
The shortage is thought to be due to a combination of supply issues and difficulty obtaining raw materials for the drug.
“I am very worried”
Charity Epilepsy Action, which supports people, has announced that inquiries about medicine stocks have increased five times compared to a year ago.
Deputy Chief Executive Rebecca Smith said: “Over the past few months we have been very concerned to hear about availability and stock issues affecting some epilepsy medicines, with Tegretol recently becoming a major concern. This is one of the issues.”
He added: “We have heard stories of many people struggling to get the medicine they need and having to travel long distances to find a pharmacy that stocks it.”
The charity said it would continue to monitor the situation.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Our priority is to ensure patients continue to receive the care they need, which is why we are working with industry, the NHS and others to “We are further improving the supply of other epilepsy medicines as soon as possible.” Possible.
“Drug supply issues don’t just affect the UK. We have a well-established set of processes and tools in place to deal with drug supply issues should they arise.”
