Insulin

[fourplusonemore]

Okay, genuine question. Insulin is not made in the U.K. and can’t be by March. Lets say we leave with a no deal Brexit, how do we stop the diabetics dying? Since medical licensing have to hold licences in the country they’re being used in and the EMA would no longer be applicable without a regulatory agreement which we wouldn’t have in a no deal scenario, how does this work?

Yep, it's a real worry, though some people seem to keep missing the point. It's not to do with product licenses or only coming from the EU etc etc, but what happens when it's stuck in the bloody logjam at ports due to the fuck up with everything else! Some people seem to think insulin magically appears in pharmacies.

Now Dover City Council are worried that the 13mile "temporary" lorry park could last many years, as basically no-one thought to do impact assessments or have a workable plan before we embarked on this Brexit nonsense!

twitter.com/faisalislam/status/1024219049067249664

Novo Nordisk have been in touch with me and said that "the extent of impacts on Novo Nordisk in the UK will depend significantly on the progress and outcomes of Brexit negotiations. We are working closely with trade associations in the UK and EU to ensure that the interests of our patients are at the foremost of negotiations." So, they themselves are worried. Hopefully they can put pressure on the powers that be to get this sorted.

It's not just insulin though, think of all the other critical medications, radioisotopes for cancer treatment etc that will be affected!

And no, a low carb diet will not cure type 1 diabetes. It may make it easier to manage, but it will not cure it. And it is not suitable for small children.

You don't think that essential medicines can be fast-tracked through the points of entry?

Wrt to power cuts I have a camping fridge for my insulin on standby.

@bmw6
Trouble is this government have proved over and over how incompetent they truly are
So I’d be really really surprised if anything got ‘fast tracked through’
Happy to be wrong of course - but
Not holding my breath

You don't think that essential medicines can be fast-tracked through the points of entry?
Obviously they can, assuming the French police and port authorities co-operate and organise that priority treatment.

You think the French would put lives at risk by not allowing fast track of essential medicines??????

They're really going to let half a million type 1 diabetics die aren't they

I think the French will look after their own first tbh

This is a potentially catastrophic omnishambles entirely of our own making
I would hope they would do everything possible not to let people down re essential meds
But this government are utterly utterly useless
I don’t trust any of them

You don't think that essential medicines can be fast-tracked through the points of entry?

Unless we are suddenly going to have no customs or controls at all I'm not sure how that would work - do we just assume that any package marked "essential medicines" is in fact essential medicine as opposed to an unsafe knock-off, or something completely different being smuggled?

So in the event of a No-Deal Brexit, how are the French (or Dutch or Germans or Danish) going to know which of the many lorries caught in the traffic jams are the ones carrying insulin or other time sensitive medication?

So we'd need to organise - with those countries - a system of "blue lighting" essential goods into (and through) the ports. I'm sure they will do so - but will be bemused at our self-inflicted crises

The Health Secretary has said they are putting plans in place to ensure adequate stocks of medicine and equipment.

What would be good to hear in the coming months is reassurance from the NHS and government that they have enough stocks of all these medicines in the uk for however long.

I presume they already keep huge stocks as before now in times of crisis there has never been an issue with stocks running low. The petrol fiasco, European strike action and blockades and so on.

Although insulin is not produced in the UK there must be huge warehouses in the UK where it is stored at the correct temperature etc.

Also I find it hard to imagine that rules will be changed on day 1. Surely there will be a period of transition that will benefit the UK but also the EU?

It's the unknown that is the worry but at the same time it is important to think rationally. My husband is type 1 insulin dependent but worrying about his insulin supply has not entered his radar as yet.

The NHS is one of the biggest global customers of all these pharma companies. They must be working together to sort out logistics I would hope.

Survey of UK doctors reveals Brexit will be very bad for the NHS :
www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/news/2018/survey-uk-doctors-reveals-brexit-will-be-very-bad-nhs

Reported in the Mirror here:
www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/four-out-five-doctors-believe-13006048

"One medic said the London School of Hygiene and ­Tropical ­Medicine survey results did not surprise him.
Dr William Sapwell added: “My impression from the front line is everyone knows it’s going to be bad. It affects every little corner of the NHS.
“We have recruitment and retention problems for doctors and if you put a barrier in front of seven to 10% of the ­workforce, it will get far worse.
“It’s going to massively affect our ability to treat and detect some types of cancer. That’s the scariest part.
“ There is also a real risk we will run out of insulin. ”

So the British government are going about things in such a way that we will have to rely on the charity and goodwill (ie bending the rules) of the French and Dutch?

Is this what Brexit was all about?

It’s not just insulin - I’ve looked at my daughters medicines and 2 out of 4 are made abroad, one in Germany and the other in Sweden. These are serious painkillers which you can’t just stop taking, you have to slowly reduce the dosage over a period of time of potential suffer seizures.

I wonder if Theresa May gave this a moment's thought when she babbled on about Brexit means Brexit and a Red, white and blue brexit?

I wonder if Theresa May gave this a moment's thought when she babbled on about Brexit means Brexit and a Red, white and blue brexit?

If only she spent as much of her time on Mumsnet as we do!

Resurrecting a dead thread here, but my worry is less that there will be a complete absence of insulin and more that I might be asked to change insulins due to certain shortages.

It's not like switching to a different statin or something, there are loads and they all have different duration of action (i.e. length of time when they are effective) which can require quite a learning curve.

Some are not suitable for use in pumps, some cause skin inflammation for some people, some are of animal origin and so will not be suitable for vegetarians or people of certain religions. And so on.

I feel so worried and angry about it all. I am also finally able to use flash glucose monitoring, but that is imported from France, so who knows how expensive that may become.

The insulin manufacturers say they don't anticipate any supply problems.

www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/factcheck-are-insulin-supplies-really-at-risk-from-a-no-deal-brexit

I work in a pharmacy and we’ve not heard anything about ordering in extra stock before Brexit? I know people want to stock pile, but if the doctors won’t write a prescription for extra doses, and the pharmacy just have the regular amount in stock, how does that work?

I often find my prescription is not completely fulfilled at the moment - am given one vial to keep me going and asked to come back next week for the rest. The pharmacist told me supply was already fairly tight because the manufacturers get a better price for it in Europe. So not sure individuals can stockpile either.

Unlike 'the war' that some like to refer back to, the manufacture of medicines is not being interrupted at all across Europe or elsewhere UNLESS there are staffing issues which are simply a result of people relocating. Thus the ability to supply medicines is down to the UK government inflicted 'transportation' and 'licensing' issues.
Countries outside the UK can sell their products. The issue arises in that technically the certifications need to be reestablished (assuming a no deal Brexit), before they can be distributed. There is also a possible issue of getting the medicines to the right places but once a shipment has left the EU (or wherever) it will be down to the UK government to sort out it's distribution.
If you are in need of regular prescriptions of essential, specific medication I would suggest writing to and seeing your doctor to find out how a lack will affect YOU, and what you could do in an emergency (reduced dosage, alternative or whatever) but also write to your MP so that if you do have an issue then it will be on file that you have raised your concerns. Obviously everyone (except some in Government) sincerely hope that no one suffers or even dies from the failure to supply suitable meds it will provide a 'paper trail' for an inquest and point quite sharply on MPs who have allowed this to happen.

The govt has asked the big pharma companies to stockpile size weeks worth of medicines in case of a no deal Brexit.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/no-deal-brexit-medicine-stockpile-health-secretary-matt-hancock-nhs-prescriptions-a8504806.html%3famp

I can't see that six weeks supply will be anywhere near enough. I suspect that in the age of 'just in time' manufacturing, that is all the capacity that will be available.

It will be a disaster.

Six weeks not size

I will be writing to my MP, yes. Just pointing out that there doesn't need to be a massive disruption in supplies to have serious consequences for some vulnerable people. I feel like Eeyore

Theresa May is Type 1 diabetic.