Concerns are growing that supplies of a life-saving drug used to treat patients with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency are rapidly running out and may not return to normal until 2025 and even possibly 2026.

National Pharmacy Association vice-chairman Olivier Picard today told LBC the situation regarding the supply of Creon, which is indicated for patients who cannot digest food properly due to cystic fibrosis, chronic pancreatitis, pancreatectomy or other conditions, was “absolutely dire.”

Suggesting he had “heard on the grapevine that stock will not” be available in pharmacies until December 2024 and a regular supply may not be restored until at least next year, he told the radio talk show: “There may be a little bit of stock here and there (but) it probably won’t be enough to supply everyone with what they need.

“The government put in emergency measures when they heard about the Creon situation, saying you’ve got to limit a patient to a month’s supply of medication (but) this could be 10 to 12 boxes with 100 capsules. It’s very difficult to ration people and say ‘I can only give you one box.’”

In May, Community Pharmacy England said supplies of Creon 10,000 and 25,000 capsules were limited until 2026 and a serious shortage protocol for the former was issued by the Department of Health and Social Care. That SSP expires on November 22, 2024.

The Cystic Fibrosis Trust said it has been “monitoring issues with Creon supplies across the UK since late 2023” when the families of patients with the disorder and clinicians started experiencing “short-term interruptions in supply.”

“This has caused significant worry and stress for those affected who have sometimes needed to travel to multiple pharmacies to find Creon, a vital medicine for many people with cystic fibrosis,” the Trust said.

“We’ve been really concerned to hear that in some cases, people have been forced to make changes to their diet and nutrition as a result of shortages.”

NPA chief executive Paul Rees said the government needed to address supply problems that have impacted drugs like Creon by appointing a “medicine shortages tsar.”

“Although for some, a medicine shortage is frustrating and inconvenient, for others it can be potentially life-threatening and have a drastic impact on how a patient can live their life,” he said.

“We have seen this with the most recent shortages relating to Creon, which can be used to help those living with cystic fibrosis digest food. That is why we are urging the new government to appoint a medicine shortages tsar to use this opportunity to bring together all bodies to tackle this growing and complex crisis once and for all.”