Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential economic impact of seeking unlicensed products as an alternative to Creon to mitigate ongoing pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy shortages on pharmacies.

There has been no assessment on the potential economic impact of seeking unlicensed products as an alternative to Creon.

The Department is continuing to engage with suppliers of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) and special importers of unlicensed medicines to increase the availability of PERT to mitigate the supply issue. The supplier of Creon expects to receive increased quantities for 2025. In December, the Department issued further management advice to healthcare professionals. This directs clinicians to unlicensed imports when licensed stock is unavailable, and includes actions for integrated care boards to ensure local mitigation plans are implemented. The Department, in collaboration with NHS England, has created a public-facing page which includes the latest updates on PERT availability and easily accessible prescribing advice, including advice on preserving available stock of alternative PERT for certain patient cohorts.