The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has issued a serious shortage protocol notice for Lansoprazole, a widely taken Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) medication used for conditions such as heartburn and indigestion. The shortage is expected to last until at least January 2027.
Statistics suggest around one in seven people in the UK take PPI medication, which includes Lansoprazole as well as Omeprazole, Esomeprazole, and Pantoprazole. The exact number of Lansoprazole users in the UK is not known.
Serious shortage protocols issued
The DHSC serious shortage protocols notice applies to Lansoprazole orodispersible tablets in both 15mg and 30mg strengths. The notice came into force on September 9, 2026, and is currently set to last until January 15, 2027.
Pharmacists are now permitted to limit patients to one month's supply at a time under the Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs) issued for both strengths. The shortage affects orodispersible tablets, which dissolve in the mouth, rather than all forms of Lansoprazole.
What the warning says
The warning reads: "Lansoprazole 30mg orodispersible tablets where supply is available, but the prescription is for more than one month's supply." The warning applies to all NHS and private prescriptions.
The criteria for inclusion state that the patient presents with a valid prescription (meeting the requirements of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012) for an amount greater than one month's supply for Lansoprazole 30mg orodispersible tablets, and that the patient or carer has been made aware that no further supply can be made from the same prescription above the one-month quantity.
The criteria for exclusion include prescriptions for medicines other than Lansoprazole 30mg orodispersible tablets, invalid prescriptions, prescriptions for an amount less than or equivalent to one month's supply, and cases where the patient or carer does not consent to receiving the medicine supplied in accordance with the SSP.
Pharmacists' response
Community Pharmacy England said: "In response to a significant ongoing disruption to the supply of Lansoprazole 15mg orodispersible tablets and Lansoprazole 30mg orodispersible tablets, two Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs) have been issued by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)."
"SSP088 and SSP089 provide that where supplies are available, but the prescription is for more than one month's supply the total quantity supplied under this protocol is to be equivalent to one month's supply of Lansoprazole 15mg orodispersible tablets and Lansoprazole 30mg orodispersible tablets respectively. SSP088 and SSP089, authorised by the Secretary of State, have been developed by clinicians and provide pharmacists with procedures to follow in providing a suitable alternative product to help reduce the number of patients having to return to their prescriber for a replacement prescription."
Concerns over wider shortages
Olivier Picard, chair of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), said: "This joins a growing list of medicines that pharmacies are finding it hard to source for patients this year, including Ramipril, Aspirin, Co-codamol and Creon to name a few. Whilst the medicine supply chain is complex, the rising problem of shortages across a wide range of medicines is extremely worrying for patients and heartbreaking for pharmacists who go to great lengths to ensure they don't turn them away."
"These shortages are some of most severe the UK has experienced," Mr Picard continued. "Our medicines market has never been so volatile, with patients and primary care colleagues at the sharp end of events outside of their control. Although medicine shortages are frustrating and worrying, we are clear that in some instances they pose a serious risk to patient safety."
President of the Royal College of GPs, Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown, said: "Medicine shortages can be frustrating for patients, GPs and pharmacists alike, especially when patients have to endure lots of back and forth to acquire a suitable alternative. With appropriate safeguards in place, the college is supportive of pharmacists being able to make limited changes to prescriptions when a medicine is unavailable and a safe, clinically appropriate alternative is available within agreed prescribing guidance. We would also support systems that enable timely communication between pharmacists and GP practices when shortages arise, without creating unnecessary administrative burden."
