Aspirin exports banned after pharmacies report shortages

Key Summary

• The government has also made it illegal to hoard stocks inside the UK.
• IPA claims that blood pres­sure medi­cines such as Amlodipine and Rami­pril are also in short sup­ply.
• Com­pan­ies are prioritising other coun­tries to sell their medi­cines as the NHS is offering them at very low prices.

The Labour government has banned aspirin from being exported following reports of ‘serious and growing’ shortages being faced by pharmacies.

The ban came into force on Sat­urday (17), and it is also illegal to hoard stocks inside the UK.

The Depart­ment of Health and Social Care (DHSC) made the move after chem­ists warned that man­u­fac­tur­ing delays and poor sup­ply were depleting the stocks, The i Paper reports.

The UK stocks of aspirin have been hampered by delays in pro­duc­tion, the bulk of which happens in India.

Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has long been warning of the impact of medicines shortages on patients and community pharmacies across England.

The pharmacies’ ability to manage these challenges has been constrained by cash flow and reimbursement pressures, it added.

CPE director of research and insights James Davies said, “Medicine shortages, such as the issues currently affecting the supply of aspirin, remain a significant concern for both patients and community pharmacies.

"Our 2025 Medicines Supply Report found that one in four pharmacy teams spend more than two hours each day sourcing alternatives for their patients, diverting attention from other essential tasks and increasing workload pressures."

The Independent Pharmacies Association (IPA) told The i Paper that pop­u­lar blood pres­sure medi­cines such as Amlodipine and Rami­pril were also in short sup­ply.

Regarding the aspirin shortage, the IPA said it was also because the UK Gov­ern­ment pays com­pan­ies very low price for aspirin, hence they are prioritising other coun­tries to sell their medi­cines, "leaving the UK at the back of the queue.”

The IPA said sup­plies of aspirin 75mg dis­pers­ible tab­lets - those that can be dis­solved in water - were run­ning low because of pro­duc­tion delays.

The blood pres­sure medi­cine Amlodipine in 5mg and 10mg tab­lets are also run­ning short because some sup­pli­ers have stopped sup­ply­ing due to low prices, it added.

The IPA claims that Amlodipine costs the NHS as little as 48p, and Aspirin at around 60p, which is "cheaper than a packet of sweets".

The IPA chief exec­ut­ive, Dr Leyla Han­nbeck, said when medicines are in short supply, prices shoot up, and pharmacies find them unaffordable to order.