What changed
Nabilone, a medicine Jill Kenning says has controlled severe pain linked to her multiple sclerosis, is out of stock with wholesalers across the UK. Both licensed doses are affected, and Northern Ireland’s Department of Health says supplies are not expected to return until December.
Kenning, from County Londonderry, ran out last Tuesday after using Nabilone for 17 of the 18 years since her diagnosis. She says the alternatives have not worked, leaving her in constant pain, unable to sleep properly and spending much of her time in bed.
Why it matters
This is not simply a pharmacy shortage measured in missing boxes. For Kenning, losing one familiar medicine has changed whether she can get out of bed, eat, sleep or manage ordinary days. She was later admitted to hospital for several nights.
Health trusts have issued guidance on alternatives, including unlicensed imports, but the practical problem remains: a replacement is only useful if it controls the person’s symptoms. The report does not establish how many patients are affected or whether the alternatives will work for them.
The wider supply picture is also moving in the wrong direction. An industry tracker recorded 157 medicines in short supply this week, compared with 107 in January. That makes this shortage part of a broader strain on access to medicines, even though the cause of the Nabilone disruption has not been disclosed.
The immediate outlook is therefore uncomfortable: patients may have guidance, but not necessarily an effective substitute, while Nabilone is not expected back until December.
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