To ask the Minister of Health to detail any action he has taken to secure supplies of the drug Creon which is in short supply for cancer patients in Northern Ireland, especially those patients with pancreatic cancer.

Medicines are manufactured as part of a highly complex, regulated and global industry; therefore, medicine shortages are not uncommon and can occur for a variety of reasons. Whilst supply issues can’t always be prevented, there are well-established tools and processes to mitigate risks to patients which are agreed UK-wide and locally via medicine shortage management groups.

Although Creon® preparations remain available, my Department is aware that the quantities are limited and capped across the UK due to manufacturing constraints until January 2026, which may result in some localised and sporadic supply disruptions.

My Department published an updated National Patient Safety Alert on 23 December 2024 regarding PERT products, which provided healthcare professionals with advice and actions to take to ensure patients can continue to access appropriate treatments. Healthcare professionals are also recommended to use the NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service’s (SPS) website including the medicines supply tool that provides up-to-date information on all medicine supply disruptions and a dedicated page to assist healthcare professionals on prescribing and ordering PERT products- https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/prescribing-and-ordering-available-pancreatic-enzyme-replacement-therapies/.

PERT products have been added to the UK restricted export and hoarding list and Serious Shortage Protocols for Creon 10,000 and 25,000 capsules have been issued and apply in Northern Ireland (NI). Unlicensed imports have also been sourced from other markets and may be prescribed and supplied where deemed appropriate.

Additionally, I wrote to Wes Streeting MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and Karin Smyth MP, Minister of Health (Secondary Care), highlighting the ongoing impacts medicine disruptions are having in NI, including PERT products, and my support for wider collaboration to improve long-term supply resilience across the UK.

Any patients impacted by this supply disruption should contact a healthcare professional for advice on actions to take.