Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy: Supply Chains

(asked on 3rd July 2025) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that lessons learned from the COVID-19 Vaccine Taskforce will inform its approach to managing the shortages of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT).


Answered by
Karin Smyth Portrait
Karin Smyth
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
This question was answered on 17th July 2025

The Department has not conducted a 360-degree supply and demand forecast for pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT). However, the Department is in regular discussion with suppliers of PERT on the latest stock availability and the actions that are being taken to mitigate the supply issue, including what steps suppliers are taking to ensure future supplies meet the long-term needs for patients in the United Kingdom.

The Department has also reached out to specialist importers who have sourced unlicensed stock to assist in covering the remaining gap in the market.

In the longer term, the Department has had interest from non-UK suppliers of PERT wishing to bring their products to the UK and, along with colleagues in the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, we are working with these potential suppliers, and if authorised, these products could further diversify and strengthen the market.

While the Department's approach for managing the supply issues with PERT is not specifically informed by the COVID-19 Vaccines Taskforce experience, as we are continually learning and seeking to improve the way we work to both manage and help prevent supply issues for PERT.

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