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 with the devolved Administrations of the resilience of the UK’s insulin supply chain; and whether his Department has assessed the potential merits of supporting increased domestic insulin manufacturing capacity in order to improve long-term supply security.

The Department is aware of supply issues with some insulin presentations. However, a variety of alternative insulin products remain available, some of which are also suitable alternatives to those affected by shortages or discontinuations. We continue to work closely with the suppliers to ensure alternative insulin products can continue to support increased demand. We have issued comprehensive management guidance to the National Health Service, including all general practitioners and community pharmacists.

The resilience of United Kingdom supply chains is a key priority, and the Department and NHS England are committed to helping to build long-term supply chain resilience for medicines. We are continually learning and seeking to further improve the way we work to both manage and help prevent supply issues and avoid shortages. The Department, working closely with NHS England, is taking forward a range of actions to improve our ability to mitigate and manage shortages and strengthen our resilience. As part of that work, we continue to engage with industry, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and other colleagues across the supply chain as we progress work to co-design and deliver solutions. However, medicine shortages are a complex and global issue and everyone in the supply chain has a role to play in addressing them, and any action will require a collaborative approach. The Government is also enhancing domestic manufacturing capability alongside strengthening international partnerships to build long-term supply resilience and help ensure patients can access the medical products they need.

We are not aware of any current plans to increase domestic production of insulin specifically, but we continue to engage with the pharmaceutical industry and other stakeholders to ensure continuity of supply.