Supply of generic drugs still unreliable

Doctors and pharmacists in the NHS are still experiencing interruption in the supply of pharmaceutical drugs, particularly generics, despite the government's decision to tackle the issue last December.

“The interruption in supplies is serious, and there is a real risk that clinical care will be compromised,” Martin Shepherd, head of pharmacy services at Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Royal Hospital, told the BMJ this week.

During the past year Mr Shepherd's hospital has seen shortages in the supply of injectable frusemide (furosemide) and ergometrine, and anaesthetists in many parts of the country have seen shortages in important anaesthetic drugs such as methohexitone sodium and …