The Minister of Health, Sajid Javid, has issued Serious Deficiency Protocols (SSPs) to limit the distribution of Oestrogel, Ovestin cream and low-dose Premique to three-month supplies per person to “normalize” the distribution. It comes in response to concerns that longer prescription cycles are putting pressure on the availability of certain HRT products. However, women who have had a prescription for more than three months will not have to pay extra for treatment they do not have access to, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (DHSC) said. Javid said: “I want to reassure women that I have heard their concerns and I will not hesitate to take decisive action to ensure that they can access the HRT they need. “We will not leave any step in our national mission to enhance HRT delivery – and this next step will ensure that women across the UK can have reliable access to this vital medicine and maintain this life preserver for millions who need it “. HRT can help relieve the severe symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes, night sweats, low mood, anxiety and difficulty sleeping. The SSPs will expire on July 29, and DHSC said pharmacists are expected to “use their professional judgment” to decide how to implement them. Prescriptions for HRT have more than doubled in the UK in the last five years, according to NHS data. Data from OpenPrescribing suggest that nearly 538,000 prescriptions for HRT treatment were issued in December, compared with 238,000 in January 2017. With demand outstripping supply, the company behind popular treatment HRT Oestrogel recently said it was well on its way to meeting growing demand. Besins Healthcare UK said it plans to increase supplies – so women can take long-term prescriptions and more people can start hormone replacement therapy – by June. Subscribe to the First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7 p.m. BST On Thursday night, Javid announced that it had appointed Madelaine McTernan, general manager of the Covid Vaccine Working Group, to lead a new HRT working group, which the government said would “apply the lessons it has learned from the release.” of the coronavirus vaccine “. McTernan said: “This is a step in the right direction to address the supply problems women face in accessing HRT and ensuring a consistent, reliable supply.”
