Warning of severe Calpol shortage as flu, Covid and Strep A surge
A POPULAR children's medicine used to remedy flu-like symptoms is in very short supply, pharmacists have warned.
It comes as cases of childhood bugs surge across the country, including deadly Strep A.
Calpol is "virtually non existent" in some pharmacies as demand for the drug has skyrocketed, The Sun has been told.
Mike Hewitson, a pharmacist from Somerset who is struggling to replenish stocks, said he had "never seen the situation this bad".
Order forms seen by The Sun also showed shortages of Benylin tablets and cough syrup, Lemsip drink sachets and pills, Day Nurse, Night Nurse and liquid paracetamol.
Pharmacist Sri Kanaparthy, based in Durham, told The Sun shortages are causing a "dilemma" for many concerned parents with sick children.
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"We always try and short out an alternative for the patient, but in some cases it's not possible and we have to refer the patient back to the GP.
"This is a dilemma for those patients who cannot get a timely GP appointment," he explained.
Ade Williams, a pharmacist in Bristol who acknowledged several drug shortages including Calpol, is concerned the ongoing medicines supply issues mean pharmacists are struggling to give enough time to patients.
"We're trying to look after our patients but searching for medicines is very time and energy-consuming," he said.
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Dr Leyla Hannbeck, of The Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, echoed Ade's comments and said pharmacists were constantly "troubleshooting".
"Pharmacists are struggling to obtain the very basic, most common cold and flu medicine," she said.
"This isn't just the branded medicines, it is also simple things like throat lozenges, cough mixtures, or pain killers - particularly the ones that are soluble.
"The demand has been high because this season we've seen higher cases of colds and flu and people are obviously trying very hard to look after themselves and making sure that they use the relevant products to manage the symptoms," she added.
A Department of Health spokesperson said: “We’re aware that there’s been increased demand for Calpol, leading to temporary local supply issues in some areas.
“Many other children’s paracetamol products are available over the counter, as are other formulations such as tablets and capsules.
“We have well established procedures in place, and we are working closely with all suppliers of children’s paracetamol to ensure access for those who need it.”
Calpol manufacturer Johnson and Johnson said: "We are experiencing high consumer demand driven by an extremely challenging cold and flu season.
“We recognise this is a difficult time for parents and caregivers, and we are doing everything we can to make sure people have access to the Calpol products they need, including maximising our production capacity.
“While products may be less readily available at some stores, we are not experiencing widespread shortages of Calpol."
Parents are being asked to keep their kids out of school if they are ill or have a high temperature as flu, Covid and Strep A infections soar.
Medics have warned that these levels are only going to continue to increase, along with high numbers of scarlet fever, which is caused by Group A streptococcus, also being reported.
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There have been at least 30 child deaths from invasive Strep A since September.
A highly contagious new Covid variant XBB.1.5 is also on the rise in the UK which is now responsible for one in 25 cases.