Three HRT medicines “have been discontinued and will be removed from the list of medicines covered by the HRT PPC”, Community Pharmacy England (CPE) announced this week (July 29).
It said that the three medicines – Bedol 2mg tablets, Climanor 5mg tablets and Clinorette tablets – are set to be removed from the list tomorrow (August 1).
Read more: MHRA greenlights new menopause symptom drug as HRT patients soar
CPE added that as Climanor 5mg tablets are now discontinued, “the generic Medroxyprogesterone 5mg tablets will also be removed from the HRT PPC list”.
“Pharmacy staff are advised to check the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) website for an up-to-date list of HRT medicines covered by the HRT PPC,” it said.
ADHD drug recall
The news comes as CPE yesterday (July 30) announced the recall of 39 batches of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drug atomoxetine in 10mg, 18mg, 25mg, 40mg, 60mg, 80mg and 100mg hard capsules.
It said that the “class 3 medicines recall” comes after “testing showed variability of the capsule contents beyond permitted levels”.
Read more: Adult ADHD prescriptions up 28% in England, NHS data reveals
CPE added that healthcare professionals must “stop supplying the above batch immediately”.
“Quarantine all remaining stock and return it to your supplier using your supplier’s approved process,” it said.
Drug shortages
Last year, the government website offering the HRT PPC, which enables HRT patients to pay a reduced prescription charge, crashed when more than 37,000 certificates were purchased after its launch on April 1.
In October, C+D reported that NHS data revealed that the number of HRT items prescribed in England in 2022/23 had increased by almost 50% compared to the previous year.
Throughout last year, HRT products faced supply issues. In May 2023, the government issued a serious shortage protocol (SSP) for Utrogestan 100mg capsules and then restricted wholesalers from exporting or hoarding progesterone, its active ingredient, as pharmacists faced ongoing shortages of HRT drugs.
Read more:Pharmacists to use ‘clinical expertise’ as nine SSPs issued for antipsychotic pills
Meanwhile, NHS data this month revealed that the number of adults in England prescribed medication for ADHD in 2023/24 increased by 27.7% compared to the previous year.
The demand for ADHD medication follows warnings from the Department of Health and Social Care (DH) last year that manufacturing issues were behind “safety critical” shortages of a plethora of ADHD drugs that lasted months.
Shortages continued as recently as May when guanfacine ADHD medication was out of stock.
