Hospitals across England are facing shortages of three vital medications used to reduce blood pressure, prevent blood clots and provide pain relief. NHS trusts have encountered supply issues with aspirin, the painkiller co-codamol, and ramipril, which treats high blood pressure.
Dozens of hospitals have faced shortages, while one community health NHS trust in Kent struggled to get enough supplies of all three drugs, according to data obtained in a freedom of information request. Pharmacists have warned that this has become "a national crisis" and that in some instances patients have not been able to have their prescriptions filled for weeks on end.
Scope of the shortages
Aspirin was the most common of the three drugs to be in short supply, according to responses in the FOI by Dr Rodolfo Catena, an expert in global health supplies at University College London. Twenty-six (62%) of the 42 trusts that responded about aspirin experienced disruption to their supplies between last December and March this year. Catena reached out to 184 trusts, reports The Guardian.
Co-codamol, a combination of paracetamol and codeine, was short at 31% of the 42 trusts that responded. Royal Wolverhampton NHS trust had struggled to get enough supplies for the 10 months between October 2025 and August this year.
Ramipril and official response
Seven (16%) of the 43 trusts that replied about ramipril were unable to get sufficient stocks. Supplies of the 1.25mg ramipril capsules have been in short supply across the UK this year. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) issued a Serious Shortage Protocol for 1.25mg capsules of the blood pressure drug on April 22 and extended it beyond May 29, which limits community pharmacies to dispensing a maximum of one month's supply per prescription.
Frimley Health NHS trust, located in the south of England, had paid inflated prices for the drug just to maintain their supply, Catena found. He called on the DHSC to improve supply chain resilience, after finding that almost all (92%) of the trusts that responded said they had no contingency plan to tackle supply problems.
Call for better reporting
Some 82% said they had not reported the scarcities to NHS England. Under the current system, only drug companies must warn the department of any impending shortages. However, Catena thinks NHS trusts should also be obliged to do this, so that bosses are made aware of the shortages and can take action to minimise them.
A spokesperson for the Society for Acute Medicine, which represents hospital doctors, told The Guardian: "Medicine shortages can disrupt treatment and create additional pressure for clinical and pharmacy teams. The key is ensuring resilient supply chains, timely communication and access to suitable alternatives so patient care is not delayed."
A health department spokesperson said: "We regularly speak to NHS trusts and national clinical leads about medicine availability and are aware that ramipril is in limited supply, which is why we issued serious shortage protocols so patients in the UK can still get the medication they need. We are working closely with relevant suppliers to resolve this and issues with co-codamol and aspirin to ensure continuity of supply."
"The vast majority of the UK’s licensed medicines are in good supply, and we have robust measures in place to mitigate disruption for patients. This government is investing in the UK medicine manufacturing industry to manage supply disruptions where they occur."
