Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, and if so, why there is a shortage of (1) widely used contraceptive preparations, and (2) hormone replacement therapy products; why (a) Brevinor, (b) Eloine, (c) Norimin, (d) Synphase, (e) Tisnell, and (f) Zoely, oral contraceptive tablets are currently unavailable; when they estimate that those tablets will be resupplied; and what steps they are taking to ensure the continued availability of all contraceptive preparations and HRT products.

The overall supply position of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) products has been improving since the end of February 2020 and will continue to improve in the coming months.

We have been advised that supplies of Brevinor, Norimin and Synphase tablets will be available from late January/early February 2021, with supplies of Yiznell available from early January 2021. Supplies of Eloine and Zoely tablets remain available via the usual routes.

Issues such as regulatory or manufacturing problems, problems accessing supplies of pharmaceutical raw ingredients and commercial decisions to divest certain products can affect the supply of medicines, including HRT and oral contraceptives.