Patient safety must come first in medication shortages, CEO tells Parliamentary reception

Epilepsy Society chief executive, Clare Pelham, called for a more patient-centred approach to the UK’s medicine supply at a Parliamentary reception.

Left to right: Julian Beach, MHRA; Clare Pelham, Epilepsy Society; Minister Zubir Ahmed MP; Sadik Al-Hassan MP; Malcolm Harrison, Company Chemists’ Association.

Epilepsy Society Chief Executive, Clare Pelham, has called for a more patient-centred approach to the UK’s medicine supply, warning that missing even a single dose can have devastating consequences for people with epilepsy

Speaking at a Parliamentary reception hosted by the Medicines Supply Resilience Group at the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA), Clare addressed a room of key stakeholders from across the medicine supply chain to bring attention to the tragic impact medication shortages can have on patients. She was joined by Dr Zubir Ahmed MP, Minister for Health Innovation and Safety; Sadik Al-Hassan MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Pharmacy; Malcolm Harrison, Chief Executive of Company Chemists’ Association; and Julian Beach, Interim Executive Director of Health Quality and Access at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Clare described epilepsy as a ‘cliff-edge condition’, as many people with epilepsy depend on a continuous supply of their anti-seizure medication. Sadly, there have been reported deaths of people with epilepsy related to shortages of medication.

To address the growing crisis, the Epilepsy Society is calling for a national Critical Medicines List. This should identify critical medications and mandate stronger safeguards to protect their supply.

Supporting the need to build more resilient medicine supply chains, Sadik Al-Hassan MP told the reception that medicine is "not an optional commodity," noting that shortages have evolved from "isolated incidents to a chronic structural challenge for the NHS and for pharmacy."

Clare Pelham, Chief Executive of Epilepsy Society, said, “We need to move from a just-in-time system to a just-in-case system; from a manufacturer-centred system to a patient-centred system. If we operate with a system with zero margin for error, patients will pay the price when issues occur – whether wars in Iran or fires at manufacturing plants.

“Epilepsy is a cliff-edge condition affecting 600,000 people in the UK. Many people with epilepsy depend on a continuous supply of their anti-seizure medication, and without it, the consequences can be devastating. In recent months, sadly, there have been reports of deaths linked to shortages of anti-seizure medication.”