Joint statement on meeting regulatory standards during periods of global or national shortage of medicines – an update
Published on 17 January 2024
In July, we published a joint statement after hearing that people with Type 2 diabetes were experiencing problems accessing GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) and the associated impact of shortages and supply chain issues on patients, the public and wider health and care teams.
We want to highlight that some of the resources mentioned in our earlier statement have been updated recently. In particular, a new National Patient Safety Alert has been issued which contains additional recommendations and confirms that the supply of GLP-1 RAs continues to be limited, with supply not expected to return to normal until at least the end of 2024. This new Patient Safety Alert supersedes the alert published in July 2023.
Please note that the advice in our earlier joint statement about meeting relevant regulatory standards in this context still stands, including the importance of professionals being able to account for their decisions. We strongly encourage all registered healthcare professionals to reread and follow the advice, and the associated resources.
Read the statement on our website.
The statutory health and care regulators that have agreed to this statement are:
- General Pharmaceutical Council
- General Medical Council
- Health and Care Professions Council
- Nursing and Midwifery Council
- Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland
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