luptartan

Do you think that a lot of the current supply issues are actually caused by the new FMD regulations (sealed packaging, QR codes etc)? I work in a pharmacy in south east England and a lot of the time when something that has been out for a while comes back into stock, we're seeing new packaging.

I don't know to be honest, we are often only told that an item is out of stock and that it is due back on a particular date. It's rare for us to be given a reason why at dispensary level!

I work in a pharmacy in the south east. For us it's been Epilim Chrono and Epilim Chronosphere that have been more difficult to get hold of. They've been going in and out of stock. Most others seem to have been okay so far

If it's low stock then yes, most pharmacy chains are tied to a few suppliers only but we often borrow from other chains/independents with different suppliers. If something is completely out of stock it's a tad more difficult - essentially we have to call around to see if anywhere has any left on the shelf and are willing to give them to us.

Sometimes if we're really stuck we have to ask GPs to switch patients to different dosages or make up the same dose using different strengths of tablet, or in some cases to switch to the closest equivalent medication (obviously not always a viable option for some medications, such as valproates, where it's important to stick to the same brand)