Iran Conflict Makes Some Medicines More Expensive in England
Introduction
The conflict with Iran is causing problems. Many medicines in England now cost more. This includes painkillers and allergy pills. Pharmacy groups say prices went up 20-30% since February. Some shops stopped selling aspirin because it is hard to get.
Main Body
Prices are higher because making and moving medicines costs more. The war stops ships in the Strait of Hormuz. This is a key waterway for oil and gas. Oil and gas prices go up. Medicine makers pay 40-50% more for supplies. Air freight costs double. Many medicines come from oil products. These are harder to get. Olivier Picard runs a pharmacy. He says on March 27 he could not order paracetamol. When it came back, the price was double. A pack of 100 tablets went from 41p to £1.99, then down to £1.09. For cetirizine, his cost went from 19p to 37p. Some shops charge up to £3. Customers pay more. A 32-pack of paracetamol was £1.19, now £1.50. Some shops stopped selling aspirin. This started before the war. Shortages are common, but the NPA says worse shortages could come if the Strait of Hormuz stays closed. Picard says do not buy too much. That makes shortages worse. The war also affects the NHS. The government has a list of medicines with higher costs. In March, 230 items were on the list. Last year it was 90. This includes blood pressure drugs and antidepressants. But paracetamol and cetirizine are not on the list. The government pays pharmacies only 49p for a 32-pack. Picard says pharmacies lose money. Since 2020, 1,400 pharmacies closed. One or two close each week. Mark Samuels from Medicines UK says the war has not caused big shortages yet. But transport costs went up 700%. Some chemicals are very hard to get. He says if the war continues, shortages or higher prices could come in weeks. A government spokesperson says they watch the situation. There is very little disruption now. They have extra stock and can buy other products. Most medicines are still easy to get. The government works to make more medicines in the UK. Dr Leyla Hannbeck wrote to the Health Secretary about worries for blood pressure drugs.
Conclusion
In short, the Iran conflict makes common medicines more expensive in England. This is because making and moving them costs more. The government says there is not much problem now. But pharmacy groups warn that if the war continues, there could be worse shortages and higher prices soon.