Scots issued urgent Calpol, Lemsip and Gaviscon warning amid medicine supply issues
28.03.2023 - 09:21
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
Users of "very common medicines" are being asked not to buy in bulk as shoppers are being warned of shortages on pharmacy shelves.
Several treatments that contain liquid painkillers paracetamol and ibuprofen are in low supply across the UK, as factories have encountered production issues with the products' raw ingredients. Medications affected include Calpol, Lemsip, Gaviscon, Optrex and Senokot.
Birmingham Mail reports that high street chemists and outlets have been impacted by the shortages. Officials are urging shoppers not to overbuy any limited items, to ensure other patients aren't left "high and dry".
Speaking to the Daily Mail Dr Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Association for Independent Multiple Pharmacies, said: "Supplies of liquid paracetamol and ibuprofen, which are given to children to ease pain, are very low indeed.
"Pharmacists are spending a lot of time trying to ensure we get drips of medicines coming through – at least one variant of each – so patients are not left completely high and dry. It's not just children's painkillers that are affected – it's a range of other very common medicines including Sterimar congestion relief nasal spray for babies, Lemsip, Gaviscon, Optrex and [constipation treatment] Senokot."
Shortages are due "factory constraints" and "issues with production of the raw ingredients used to make common drugs in China and India," she added. "Please don't hoard these medicines – there's no need to be concerned and pharmacists are doing everything they can to ease the situation."
The shortages come just months after the last warnings. Earlier in January, the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies announced a shortage of cold medicines used to treat winter illnesses.
Health