Cold and flu medicine warning issued by pharmacy chiefs

Pharmacy leaders have warned about a shortage of cough and cold medicines, with some chemists “struggling to obtain the very basic supplies”.

Throat lozenges, cough mixtures and some painkillers are among the over-the-counter medicines in short supply, according to the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies.

The industry group warned of supply issues of both branded and unbranded medicines to treat seasonal illnesses.

Chief executive Leyla Hannbeck said that pharmacists were “struggling to obtain the very basic, most common cold and flu medicine”.

The warning comes after the UK Health Security Agency said that winter illnesses including flu and Covid-19 continue to circulate at “high levels”.

As a result, officials urged people to keep children with a fever off school and urged unwell adults to wear face coverings to stem the spread of infections.

The association said that the latest shortages, which come off the back of supply issues with antibiotics and HRT last year, show there are issues with the supply chain and suggested that a “lack of planning” from government officials was to blame.

Chief executive Leyla Hannbeck said that pharmacists were constantly “trouble-shooting”. She added: “Pharmacists are struggling to obtain the very basic, most common cold and flu medicine.”

“This isn’t just the branded medicines, it is also simple things like throat lozenges, cough mixtures or pain killers – particularly the ones that are soluble.

“The demand has been high because this season we’ve seen higher cases of colds and flu and people are obviously trying very hard to look after themselves and making sure that they use the relevant products to manage the symptoms.

“And that has led to a shortage of these products in terms of us not being able to obtain them.”

Ms Hannbeck added: “But this is part of a bigger issue – from HRT to antibiotics to this, we are constantly finding ourselves in a situation when as soon as the demand for something goes up we are struggling with the supply.

“Unfortunately part of that is a lack of planning by officials [at the Department of Health and Social Care] in terms of foreseeing the problems and trying to plan in advance to sort it.

“For example, with cold and flu, we knew some months ago cases were going up and it was anticipated that there would be higher demand for these products.

“So you would have thought that plans would have been in place in terms of managing this with regards to liaising with manufacturers and getting the products in.”

High street chain Superdrug said that it has seen huge demand for cough and cold medicines. Niamh McMillan, Superdrug pharmacy superintendent, said: “We are currently experiencing exceptionally high demand for cold and flu products.

“If your usual products are unavailable and you’re looking to relieve your symptoms, our pharmacists can offer advice on the most appropriate pain relief and decongestant products to help you.”