Britain is facing a drug shortage that could leave millions of people without access to basic medication, a report has warned.

Pharmacists have said there are shortages of almost every major type of medicine – including painkillers, contraceptives and diabetes tablets.

This includes common painkillers, blood pressure pills and hormone replacement therapy (HRT), typically used to support those experiencing menopause symptoms.

That's according to a poll by Chemist + Druggist which has revealed the worrying drugs crisis that could affect millions of those in desperate need of medical treatment.

It said that almost half of pharmacy teams now spend more than an hour every day trying to source medicines by calling GPs and wholesalers.

Pharmacists said they are living ‘on a knife-edge’ due to the mass shortages, which are caused by a perfect storm of manufacturing problems.

Dr Farah Jameel, a GP from the British Medical Association, called for "urgent action" and said the shortages are "gradually getting worse".

What medications are running out?

Some 84% of the 402 pharmacy workers surveyed said they have experienced shortages of HRT in the past six months.

Two thirds said they have been hit by shortages of contraceptive pills and more than half said they had run out of pain killing creams at some point. More than a fifth said they had faced diabetes drugs’ shortages.

The nationwide survey revealed a shortfall was reported across all 36 major categories of medicines. 

These include statins, antidepressants, eye drops, wound dressings and decongestants. It means some patients turn up at their pharmacy with a GP prescription, only to be sent home empty-handed as their medication is out of stock.

The shortages have been most severe for HRT, which hundreds of thousands rely on to relieve crippling menopause symptoms.

Antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs are also in short supply.

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