In response to the Independent Pharmacy Federation’s (IPF) survey, which noted Eli Lilly amongst the top three pharma companies to present the greatest difficulties in obtaining medicine supplies, a spokesperson for Lilly UK issued the below statement:

“Lilly is committed to ensuring that UK patients have access to our medicines and consequently distributes more than sufficient medicine to meet UK demand, through our direct to pharmacy distribution system.”

This is administered by two Logistic Services Providers (LSPs) and backed up by an emergency service; whereby a pharmacy can phone Lilly direct on our free phone number 0800 012 1178 and we will arrange a delivery at the next available opportunity – typically within 24 hours.”

Lilly UK is confident that our direct to pharmacy procedures provide a good and robust service to patients and pharmacists and adheres to the joint guidance: “Best Practice for Ensuring the Efficient Supply and Distribution of Medicines to Patients” and “Trading Medicines for Human Use: Shortages and Supply Chain Obligations”, issued by the Department of Health (DH).”

While we continually review and update our own procedures to ensure that every UK patient has access to our medicines, the difficulties experienced in providing consistent supply of medicines have been acknowledged by the DH as being caused - at least in part – by product diversion.”

For Lilly, one of our specific concerns is around the diversion of olanzapine (Zyprexa). This is likely to be a significant contributing factor in the IPF’s findings due to the impact these shortages have.”

We encourage the IPF to lend its support to driving adoption of the recent Department of Health guidelines and as well as sharing the results and methodology of its survey with us directly so that we may better understand their findings.”

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Pharmacists have identified Pfizer, Sanofi and Eli Lilly as the pharma companies that present the greatest difficulties in obtaining medicine supplies.

One-in-four (27%) pharmacists questioned in a survey by the Independent Pharmacy Federation (IPF) indicated Lilly as the most problematic, with 13% voting Sanofi and 12% naming Pfizer.

More than half (59%) of pharmacists said that more than five of their patients were affected by drug shortages in the past week.

The shortage has caused “real difficulties” says Fin McCaul, chair of the IPF, who hit out at manufacturers saying that pharmaceutical companies need to solve the problem.

Half of the pharmacists claimed they were spending up to three hours every week trying to obtain supplies from alternative sources.

“We cannot afford for pharmacists to be wasting three or four hours each week on this exercise when they need to be spending more time developing services for patients,” added Mr McCaul.

Stephen Whitehead, chief executive of the ABPI said: “Current challenges in the supply chain cannot be solved in isolation and will only be addressed by all healthcare partners working collaboratively to find an appropriate solution”.

The survey questioned more than 500 independent pharmacists. The IPF was originally set up in 2006 but was relaunched in June this year. The Federation has noted that independent pharmacies now account for 40% of the sector.

Click here to read Eli Lilly’s response to the survey.