Huge warning as blood pressure and cancer drugs run short

November 2, 2026

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The UK has been hit by medication shortages (Image: Getty)

A warning has been issued over potential shortages of vital blood pressure and cancer medications. The Independent Pharmacies Association (IPA), a body representing 5,000 pharmacies across England and Wales, says the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, and the blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, has led to a various critical drugs running low. The medications currently on shortage lists include Propranolol, a beta-blocker that is dispersed over 7.5 million times by the NHS every year, and painkillers for cancer.

The war in the Middle East is driving medication shortages in the UK and across the globe. Britain currently imports around 75% of its medicines, with the majority of generic drugs coming from India and China.

However, maritime blockades and airspace closures across the Middle East are adding between 10 and 14 days of transit times to the medications. This is creating delivery backlogs and shortages of certain drugs.

Dr Leyla Hannbeck, boss of the IPA, told The Telegraph: “Medicine shortages are not improving, and with winter approaching, it is vital that the Government takes this issue seriously before the situation deteriorates further. The conflict in Iran and uncertainty over shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz have added to concerns about medicine supply chains.

“Pharmacies across the UK are already struggling to access medicines their patients desperately need, while rising prices are putting them under further financial pressure. Too often, pharmacies are left having to source medicines at a loss, placing even greater strain on already stretched businesses.”

The Strait of Hormuz blockade has caused supply shortages (Image: Getty)

Meanwhile, longer shipping routes and geopolitical instability caused by the war have increased overheads directly inflating the cost of importing medications. Other basic medical supplies, and the base raw materials of drugs, also depend heavily on the Middle East oil and gas infrastructure.

The Royal College of GPs (RCGP) previously described the shortages as some of the “most severe” health leaders have ever seen. The group warned that the crisis poses a serious risk to patient safety.

In June, the RCGP backed calls to gives pharmacists flexibility to alter prescriptions when a medicine is unavailable. The current rules mean patients are forced to return to their GP to get a rewritten note if a certain drug is out of stock.

Propranolol Tablets and Chemical Formula on the Orange Background. Beta Blocker White Pills

Propranolol is one of the drugs impacted (Image: Getty)

Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown, president of the RCGP, said: “Medicine shortages can be frustrating for patients, GPs and pharmacists alike, especially when patients have to endure lots of back and forth to acquire a suitable alternative. At a time when GPs and pharmacists are working under significant pressures, medicine shortages only add to this.

“With appropriate safeguards in place, the college is supportive of pharmacists being able to make limited changes to prescriptions when a medicine is unavailable and a safe, clinically appropriate alternative is available within agreed prescribing guidance. We would also support systems that enable timely communication between pharmacists and GP practices when shortages arise, without creating unnecessary administrative burden.

“The most important thing is that patients are able to access the medication they need safely and without delay. More widely, it’s essential that when shortages occur, the underlying causes are quickly identified and resolved.”

Man taking medication with a blood pressure monitor on the table