UK faces longest-running drug shortages for Creon and Estradot until 2027

A new alert from the Department of Health and Social Care extends serious shortage protocols for Creon 25000 gastro-resistant capsules and all strengths of Estradot transdermal patches until 8 January 2027, marking the longest-running medicine shortages in Britain. The National Pharmacy Association reports that pharmacies are seeing patients skip meals and travel many miles to obtain the drugs, risking severe diarrhoea, weight loss and malnutrition.

Olivier Picard, chair of the NPA, described the extensions as a "deeply depressing" development and called on Health Secretary Yvette Cooper to set up a taskforce to address fragilities in the global supply chain. He also urged the government to permit pharmacists to substitute out-of-stock prescriptions with safe alternatives. Pancreatic Cancer UK said the situation has improved compared with the peak of the shortage but emphasized the continued stress and health impact on patients needing pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy. The extensions affect Creon 10000 capsules, whose current protocol expires today, and all listed strengths of Estradot patches.