Why Is My Medication Out of Stock? Understanding England's Medicine Shortage and How to Find What You Need

Written by Irene Akladious | Integrated Care Pharmacist Perspective | 1 May 2026

Struggling to get your prescription? You're not alone. England's medication shortage is a growing structural problem affecting hundreds of medicines. Here's what's causing it, what it means for patients, and how Medpals' FindMyMeds can help you find your medicine nearby.

If you've arrived at your pharmacy recently and been told your medication is out of stock, you may have wondered whether you'd done something wrong. You haven't. And you're not alone.

A BBC News investigation published today confirms what many patients and pharmacists across England have been experiencing for some time: access to medicines is at its most fragile point in years, affecting hundreds of everyday prescriptions - from epilepsy medication and antidepressants to blood pressure drugs and Parkinson's treatments.

This piece explains what's actually happening, why it's happening, and - most importantly - what you can do right now to find your medication without unnecessary stress or wasted journeys.

What's Happening Right Now

In April 2026, 210 named medications reached the government's price concessions list — a record high. This list is the clearest indicator we have of how many medicines are under supply pressure at any given time.

The medicines affected aren't obscure. They include drugs for epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, depression, ADHD, heart conditions, eye infections, perimenopause/menopause and bipolar disorder. These are medicines that people depend on every day to function well and stay safe.

For patients like Chloe, a 29-year-old with epilepsy who spoke to the BBC (The struggle to get hold of medication in England is set to get worse - BBC News), the real-world impact is significant. In recent weeks she has been unable to access the specific medication that controls her seizures, despite having other medications available. Her story illustrates something important: it isn't always that all medication is unavailable- sometimes the particular formulation or brand that works for a patient is the one that's hard to find. That distinction matters enormously, especially for conditions like epilepsy where switching formulations can affect seizure control.

Why Is This Happening? The Funding Mechanism Explained

Understanding why medicines go out of stock helps you navigate the situation more confidently. The short answer is that the way the NHS funds community pharmacies creates a structural mismatch when global prices rise quickly.

How NHS medicine pricing works

The NHS pays pharmacies a fixed price- known as the drug tariff- for each medicine they dispense. Pharmacies are expected to source that medicine at or below that price. When they can, the system works well.

The problem arises when the market price of a medicine rises above the tariff rate- which is happening with increasing frequency due to global pressures including higher energy costs, oil prices and more complex international supply chains. When this happens, the government adds the medicine to a price concessions list, which allows pharmacies to be reimbursed at the new higher price.

However, there's an important lag in this system. When prices spike suddenly- sometimes above even the concession rate- pharmacies can find themselves dispensing medicines at a loss while waiting for reimbursement prices to catch up. The BBC spoke to Akash Patel, a pharmacist in Shepperton, Surrey, who illustrated this clearly: one commonly prescribed antidepressant, Venlafaxine, has a government reimbursement price of £3.89, yet the cheapest he can purchase it for is £5.25.

"I lose money on over 300 medications — standard everyday items like blood thinners, blood pressure meds and painkillers." — Olivier Picard, Chair, National Pharmacy Association

What pharmacies do in response

Faced with dispensing at a loss, many pharmacies make a rational decision: they order smaller quantities. This reduces their financial exposure but also means stock runs lower than normal. The result, for patients, is that a medicine may be available in a pharmacy across town but not at your local one — and knowing where to look becomes the challenge.

At the same time, England has seen 1,500 pharmacy closures since 2017, with 27 closures already this year alone. The number of pharmacies is now at its lowest level in 20 years. Fewer pharmacies means less overall stock capacity and, in some areas, longer distances to travel when your usual pharmacy doesn't have what you need.

The Bigger Picture: A Global Supply Chain Under Pressure

To understand why medication shortages in England are worsening, it helps to look well beyond the NHS funding mechanism- which, as we explained above, is one contributing factor. The deeper story is a global one, and it begins with oil.

Geopolitical shocks and rising energy costs

The conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran has had a significant impact on global energy markets. The disruption to oil supplies from the region has pushed energy prices upward and this matters for medicine manufacturing in ways that are not immediately obvious.

Oil is not just a fuel. It is a raw material. Many of the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) that form the basis of generic medicines (the off-patent drugs that make up around 85% of NHS prescriptions) are derived from petrochemical feedstocks. When oil prices rise, the cost of producing these ingredients rises with them. The same applies to many of the excipients used in medicine formulation (the binding agents, coatings, and fillers that hold a tablet together), as well as to the plastics and polymers used in packaging.

A low-margin industry with little room for shocks

Generic pharmaceutical manufacturing is, by its nature, a low-margin business. Manufacturers compete on price, and profitability depends on high volumes and tightly controlled costs. When those costs rise- whether through energy, raw materials, or logistics- the financial model comes under strain quickly.

Logistics costs have also risen sharply. Air freight and shipping routes through contested or disrupted waters are more expensive and less reliable than they were two or three years ago. For manufacturers sourcing APIs from countries such as India or China- which supply a significant proportion of the world’s pharmaceutical ingredients- getting those materials to production facilities in Europe and then onward to the UK has become both more costly and less predictable.

As Gaurang Patel, who co-founded the Shepperton pharmacy, told the BBC his pharmacy lost £140,000 dispensing NHS medicines last year. That loss is, in part, a downstream consequence of pressures that began thousands of miles away.

Supply chain opacity makes the system more fragile

There is a further structural problem that makes the system harder to manage: pharmaceutical manufacturers are, understandably, reluctant to share detailed information about their supply chains. Where they source APIs, which logistics partners they use, how much buffer stock they hold- these are matters of commercial confidentiality and competitive advantage.

The consequence is that regulators, governments and NHS commissioners have limited visibility of where vulnerabilities actually sit until a manufacture volunteers they expect a shortage or when a shortage has already emerged. By the time a gap in supply becomes visible at the pharmacy counter, the disruption that caused it may have occurred weeks or months earlier- and at a point in the chain that no one in England had clear sight of.

This opacity is one reason why the Independent Pharmacies Association has called for medicines supply to be added to the National Risk Register- a step that would compel more systematic monitoring and contingency planning. At the time of writing, that request has not yet received a formal government response.

The shortage you experience at your local pharmacy may have its roots in an energy price shock on the other side of the world- travelling through a supply chain that very few people have full visibility of.

What this means in practice

For patients in England, the practical effect of these global pressures is that shortages can appear with little warning, affect multiple medicines simultaneously, and persist for weeks or months- not because of any single failure, but because a series of cost and logistics pressures are converging at the same time.

The NHS funding mechanism- with its fixed tariff prices and slow-responding concessions process- compounds this by giving pharmacies little financial incentive to hold buffer stock when prices are volatile. The result is a system with limited resilience at precisely the moment global conditions are creating the most turbulence.

What This Means if You Have a Long-Term Condition

The experience of medication shortage varies significantly depending on your condition. Here's what's worth knowing.

Epilepsy

For people with epilepsy, consistency of medication is particularly important. Different brands or formulations of the same drug can behave differently in the body, and switching without medical guidance can affect seizure control. If you are having difficulty accessing your epilepsy medication, speak to your neurologist, Neurology Nurse Specialist or GP in the first instance to discuss your options before accepting a substitution- and use Medpals' FindMyMeds to get help searching pharmacies that have your specific medication in stock.

It is also worth being aware of SUDEP- Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy- which is a rare but real risk that is closely linked to seizure control. The Epilepsy Society has identified three deaths in the past two years where a lack of access to medication was identified as a contributing factor. Consistent access to the right medication is the most important protective factor.

Parkinson's disease

Timing of doses is critical for Parkinson's patients. Chris Henry, 49, who takes Co-Careldopa for his Parkinson's, described the situation to the BBC as 'genuinely concerning'- knowing that his body control becomes less predictable without his medication. If your Parkinson's medication is affected, speak to your specialist team or GP and place orders early. Don't wait until you're running low.

Mental health conditions

Antidepressants and mood stabilisers can be affected by the same supply pressures. Abruptly stopping or reducing these medications without medical guidance can cause withdrawal effects. If your pharmacy is struggling to fulfil a mental health prescription, ask your GP or pharmacist about a planned alternative rather than simply going without. If you need help or support, ask, don't suffer in silence.

What You Can Do: A Practical Guide

The good news is that, in many cases, medication is available in another pharmacy- the challenge is knowing where to look before you make a wasted journey. Here is what we recommend.

1. Search with Medpals before you travel

Medpals' FindMyMeds service is designed exactly for this situation. Search for your medication and see which pharmacies near you currently have it in stock- before you leave home. No hopping, no guesswork, no wasted journeys.

It's free to use, requires no account or sign-up, and your search history is never stored. Your data stays yours- always.

2. Don't wait until you've run out

Given current supply pressures, it's worth contacting your pharmacy three weeks before your next prescription is due. This gives both you and your pharmacist more time to source what you need, or to explore alternatives with your GP or specialist team if necessary.

3. Speak to your pharmacist first

Your pharmacist is your first port of call. They may be able to source your medication from a different wholesaler, suggest a clinically appropriate alternative, or contact your GP on your behalf if a prescription change is needed. They are also the most up-to-date source of information about which medicines are currently hard to find locally. Remember to be kind. They are just as frustrated as you are with medication shortages, and may be under significant financial pressure trying to keep their service operating under challenging conditions.

4. Keep your GP informed if your condition is being affected

If a gap in your medication is affecting your health- if you're experiencing more symptoms, side-effects from switching, or anxiety about running out (GP's can not see pharmacy stock levels)- let them know at the earliest opportunity. This should be documented, and in some cases your GP may be able to help prioritise your supply.

5. Report a shortage with Medpals

When you find that a medication is unavailable at a pharmacy near you, reporting it through Medpals' ShareAShortage takes seconds and helps build a real-time picture of where supply gaps are emerging. Every report helps other patients in your community avoid a wasted journey to the same pharmacy.

What Medpals Is Here to Do

Medpals works alongside your GP, your pharmacist and the NHS- not instead of them. Our role is straightforward: to help you navigate the pharmacy network more easily, so that the medication that is available reaches the patients who need it, with as little friction as possible.

Medpals' FindMyMeds: search for your medication and find nearby pharmacies with it in stock.

Medpals' ShareAShortage: report when a medication is unavailable, and help your community stay informed.

From uncertain to sorted — that's what Medpals is here for.

No sign-up. No account. No data stored. Free to use.

In Summary

England's medicine shortage is a real and growing structural challenge- not a temporary blip. It is driven by a funding mechanism that struggles to respond quickly to global price pressures, compounded by pharmacy closures and an increasingly complex international supply chain.

If you are having difficulty accessing your medication, the most important thing to know is that stock is usually available at a pharmacy- and that finding it doesn't have to mean hours of phone calls or wasted journeys.

Use Medpals. Search before you travel. Report what you find. And speak to your pharmacist early.

Key Facts at a Glance

210  medications on the NHS price concessions list in April 2026 — a record high

1,500  pharmacy closures in England since 2017

27  pharmacy closures so far in 2026 alone

Source

This article is based on: Hayward, C. & Pym, H. (2026). "The struggle to get hold of medication in England is set to get worse." BBC News, Accessed on: 1 May 2026. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c202jqn3jzro Additional context from House of Commons Library Medicines Shortages Briefing (CBP-9997), Epilepsy Society, and the National Pharmacy Association.

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