HRT Oestrogel supplies will not be increased until June, firm behind the drug confirms
Another month of HRT misery! Drug firm behind popular gel at heart of UK’s shortage reveals it won’t scale up supplies until JUNE
Oestrogel is in short supply, fuelling the current crisis in menopause treatmentsMadelaine McTernan is the new HRT tsar appointed to try to relieve shortagesShe helped lead the Vaccine Taskforce as crucial part in the Covid jab success
<!–
<!–
<!–<!–
<!–
(function (src, d, tag){
var s = d.createElement(tag), prev = d.getElementsByTagName(tag)[0];
s.src = src;
prev.parentNode.insertBefore(s, prev);
}(“https://www.dailymail.co.uk/static/gunther/1.17.0/async_bundle–.js”, document, “script”));
<!–
DM.loadCSS(“https://www.dailymail.co.uk/static/gunther/gunther-2159/video_bundle–.css”);
<!–
Shortages of a popular HRT gel causing misery for thousands of women will not be fixed until June, its producer confirmed today.
Supplies of Oestrogel — manufactured by Besins Healthcare UK — have been in short supply since early this year, which has left patients rationing their prescriptions or turning to the black market to access it.
The number of women seeking the rub-on treatment, which works by enabling the hormone oestrogen to be absorbed into the bloodstream without the need for pills, has rocketed to around 30,000.
Last year it was only selling half that amount. Besins said it is aiming to meet growing demand — but will not be able to do so until June at the earliest.
It means thousands of women could be left without treatment in the meantime, seeing the debilitating symptoms of the menopause return.
Chemists claimed the ‘heartbreaking’ shortage could be helped by letting pharmacists substitute out-of-stock prescriptions.
Some women have been forced to take time off work to scour the country for pharmacies stocking their prescriptions, while others have travelled abroad where it is available over the counter.
Desperate women have even resorted to meeting in car parks to swap medication, with concerns supply may not be sorted until June at the earliest.
Oestrogel — manufacture by Besins Healthcare UK — is in short supply, fuelling the current crisis in medication needed to treat menopause symptoms
There were about 512,000 NHS prescriptions written for ‘female sex hormones and their modulators’ in England in February, the latest official data shows, compared to 265,000 in March 2017. Many of these will be HRT medications but some may include other female hormone drugs such as contraceptives
A Besins Healthcare UK said: ‘Currently we are supplying double the quantity supplied at this time last year.
‘The target is to meet demand, including the increase in the average quantity per prescription and growing demand, in June 2022.
‘Besins Healthcare UK work with wholesalers on an ongoing basis to ensure an equitable distribution across the UK distribution network.’
Around 30,000 women use Oestrogel in Britain. It is low in stock — and shortages have also seen demand for alternatives to skyrocket.
The British Menopause Society has advised medics to consider alternative HRT preparations for women who cannot get their usual stock of Oestrogel, including the gel Sandrena or the spray Lenzetto.
Other forms of HRT have also suffered a shortage as demand outstrips supply.
Overall, nearly 538,000 prescriptions for HRT treatment were issued in December, compared with 238,000 in January 2017.
Reena Barai, a pharmacist in Sutton, London, and member of the National Pharmacy Association, called on the Government to empower chemists to offer different drugs to what they have been prescribed.
Currently, patients need to get their GP’s permission to get alternative medications, which can take days.
Ms Barai said allowing pharmacists to amend HRT prescriptions would be a ‘game changer’.
Some women have been reluctant to take alternative medications because of their side effects.
No10 has stepped up its approach to the crisis by appointing one of the women responsible for securing Covid vaccines for the UK.
Madelaine McTernan has been put in charge of fixing supply issues and will spearhead efforts to deal with shortages of the medicine.
She was director general of the heavily praised Vaccine Taskforce, credited for the success of Britain’s Covid jab rollout.
Now, she will turn her hand to helping thousands of menopausal women struggling to get HRT, mostly due to problems with supplies of a popular oestrogen gel.
Ms Barai told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘I think the Government needs to look at the supply. It needs to look at the demand.
‘And, as pharmacists, we’re actually asking for the ability to make minor changes to a prescription to a suitable alternative when something is out of stock.
‘That would be a game changer for pharmacists and for our patients as well.
‘And, also, often we’re not able to share medicines with each other, with other pharmacies, and if we were able to do that as well we’d really save lots of precious GP time that’s wasted in issuing alternative prescriptions.’
Ms Barai also said it ‘absolutely makes sense’ that Ms McTernan has been appointed to lead a new HRT taskforce.
She added: ‘Somebody needs to get a grip on this situation and co-ordinate the response.
‘I think the Government needs to look at the supply, it needs to look at the demand, and as pharmacists we’re actually asking for the ability to make minor changes to a prescription to a suitable alternative when something is out of stock.
‘That would be a game changer for pharmacists and for our patients as well.
‘And also often we’re not able to share medicines with each other, with other pharmacies, and if we were able to do that as well we’d really save lots of precious GP time that’s wasted in issuing alternative prescriptions.’
Asked if the process could be speeded up, she said: ‘Absolutely.
‘It would be really useful for us to be able to do that and support our patients, because we undeservedly get the brunt of people’s frustration in these difficult circumstances.’
Madelaine McTernan (pictured) has been appointed the new HRT tsar and will spearhead efforts to deal with shortages of the medicine.
Other members of the Vaccine Taskforce have also been drafted in to tackle the HRT crisis, as the Government redoubles its efforts to ensure women can get hold of the medication.
Announcing Ms McTernan’s new role, Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: ‘I understand how much women rely on HRT which is why we will leave no stone unturned to help make sure women can get the HRT they need.
‘Madelaine McTernan will use her excellent skills and expertise to build on the success of the Vaccine Taskforce to bolster supply of vital medicines to women across the country.’
Demand for HRT has risen dramatically, with a 38 per cent increase in the number of prescription items over the past seven years.
The HRT taskforce will be responsible for working with suppliers to find out what can be done to reduce shortages in the short and long term.
Miss McTernan, a Cambridge law graduate who went on to work in investment banking, will remain director general of the Vaccine Taskforce but be primarily focused on HRT supply for the foreseeable future.
‘We will apply the key learnings from the successful way the Vaccine Taskforce have procured life-saving vaccines during the pandemic to help ensure women have reliable ongoing access to these critical medicines,’ she said.
