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The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency is to conduct a series of targeted inspections at drug manufacturers and wholesalers to tackle supply chain issues.

That is one of the actions agreed at the government convened medicines supply summit held this week. The summit took place in the wake of medicines shortages reported by some pharmacists and patients over the past year.

Other actions include:

• a more explicit duty for manufacturers and wholesalers to ensure that sufficient stocks of medicines are available to NHS patients
• tougher standards for the issue of licences for medical wholesalers
• development of best practice guidance on how supply difficulties should be dealt with by doctors, pharmacists, manufacturers and wholesalers 

The targeted inspections mean manufacturers and wholesalers will risk losing their licences and face prosecution if they breach legal duties on supply of medicines. Pharmacists and doctors risk being called to account by their professional bodies for breaching their ethical obligation to put patients first.

Health minister Mike O'Brien said: 'The lower value of sterling has resulted in some medicines destined for NHS patients being sold abroad for extra profit by a small number of unscrupulous speculators. Some pharmacists have had trouble getting hold of certain drugs because of this. For months, I have been seriously concerned about the potential impact of this on patients.'

Director general of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry Dr Richard Barker said: 'We strongly support the proposal to raise the standards to be applied to the licensing of wholesalers, to reinforce their mission to deliver medicines to meet the needs of UK patients, who should be at the centre of all of our activities.'

Broad agreement for the actions was reached by the organisations* represented at the summit. But some organisations still need to formally ratify the agreement.

*The summit was attended by representatives from: Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, Cymru British Association of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers BMA's GP clinical and prescribing committee Chief pharmacist, Northern Ireland Chief pharmaceutical officer, England Chief pharmaceutical officer, Scotland Community Pharmacy Scotland Community Pharmacy Wales Department of Health Dispensing Doctors' Association Ethical Medicines Industry Group Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency National Pharmacy Association Pharmaceutical Contractors' Committee - Northern Ireland Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee  Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland pharmaceutical adviser Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain Welsh Assembly Government

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