Drug supply issues are not a new problem in healthcare but 2022 and 2023 have been very challenging with a significant number of medication both prescription and over the counter being out of supply, and for a very significant amount of time.

This causes a problem because patients are not able to start on the treatment needed to get them better or there is an interruption in treatment that a patient has been stabilized on.

3 things to do if your pharmacy is unable to source your medication

• Ask your pharmacy if they can see the inventory in another local branch of the same chain.
  • Some pharmacies can see the inventory of other local stores of the same chain.
  • If the pharmacy can see some stock in another branch, it is a good idea to confirm with the other store that the medication is indeed in stock as inventory numbers in the system may be wrong.
  • Once the inventory has been confirmed and the medication is in the stock, the prescription can be transferred to the other store and filled there.

• If there is no stock in any of the branches of your pharmacy chain, you can call different pharmacy chains to see if they have the medication in stock. This is worth doing because some chains use a different supplier who may still have the medication available.
  • If the medication is in stock, the prescription can be transferred to the different pharmacy chain and filled there.

• If you are unable to get any pharmacy to fill your prescription the next step is to call your healthcare provider to discuss changing your prescription to an alternative drug for treatment which is similar to the original prescribed and currently has no supply issues.
  • Your doctor might need to work with your pharmacy to discuss appropriate alternatives that are available so that you can start treatment in a timely manner or so that there is no disruption in ongoing treatment.

Disclaimer: This is not an exhaustive list and is for information only. This is not medical advice. Please consult your doctor or pharmacist if you need personal treatment options or have any questions that affect you directly.