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Progynova HRT patches are to be discontinued beginning from December, the Department of Health and Social Care has said.  

In a medicine supply update, the DHSC said the once-weekly estradiol patches are to be withdrawn from the market.

The 50mcg/24 hours product will be discontinued from late December and the 100mcg patches will be discontinued from February next year. 

According to the DHSC, there are sufficient supplies of FemSeven  once-weekly estradiol patches and Evorel twice-weekly patches to support the rise in demand. 

The NHS Business Services Authority revealed last October that the number of prescribed HRT items rose by 21.5 per cent between 2022-23 and 2023-24, with 13.3 million items prescribed in the 12 months to April 2024. 

Supply chains in the UK have struggled in recent years to cope with increased demand for HRT medicines, as many women have encountered difficulties having their prescription filled and some campaigners have claimed a ‘postcode lottery’ makes the drugs harder to source in some parts of England.

Of the eight serious shortage protocols currently in place that allow pharmacists to substitute an alternative medicine for a prescribed drug in short supply, four relate to different strengths of the HRT branded medicine Estradot. All four SSPs are currently set to expire on October 10 this year.