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A report published today by the Government has said there were fewer medicines supply issue notifications in the first half of this year compared with previous years.

The Department of Health and Social Care’s medicine supply disruption statistics show there were 700 notifications between January and June 2026 compared with about 1,400 during the same period last year, 1,900 in 2024 and about 1,600 in 2022 and 2023.

There were around 200 discontinuation notifications, in which a manufacturer or importer intends to permanently stop supplying a medicine, from January to June 2026 which was “aligned with previous years”.

There were about 480 discontinuation notifications in 2025 and about 400 in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Between July and December 2025, there were 284 discontinuation notifications and 554 supply issue notifications.

Manufacturing problems were most commonly reported to be the root cause of supply issues last year, making up 62 per cent of notifications.  

Legal, regulatory, market and demand factors were reported in 37 per cent of notifications and logistics-related factors accounted for five per cent. “Major events” were reported in one per cent of notifications and the report said that was why it was “excluded” from the analysis.

In 2024, manufacturing problems made up 59 per cent of notifications, while legal, regulatory, market and demand factors accounted for 36 per cent.

The DHSC's figures are based on medicine supply issues or discontinuations submitted by pharmaceutical suppliers through its online reporting tool, the Discontinuations and Shortages portal, which launched in October 2020.

The report drilled down into the causes of supply issue notifications and found that in 2025, 13 per cent related to a shortage of raw material or packaging material, six per cent was because of a manufacturing failure or relocation, four per cent a product recall or quality failure and eight per cent was down to capacity constraints.

A delay in the supply chain made up 19 per cent of notifications and “other manufacturing issues” accounted for 17 per cent.

A significant challenge for the whole supply chain

The Company Chemists’ Association (CCA) chief executive Malcolm Harrison said supply issues and discontinuations continue to be “a significant challenge for the whole supply chain, and especially for patients who cannot access the medicines they need”.

“Over the past two decades, successive Governments have significantly driven down the price they pay for medicines, making the UK a less attractive market globally,” he said.

“Ultimately, sustained investment in medicines pricing and community pharmacy is required to build resilience and protect patient access to medicines.”

The CCA set up the Medicines Supply Resilience Group last year which brings together representatives from the medicines supply chain and officials from the Government, NHS and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to improve medicines supply.