Raw material shortage drives up cost of aspirin, ibuprofen and paracetamol by up to 30%

The cost of over-the-counter pain relief medication has jumped in the UK as drugmakers demand price increases on the back of raw material shortages triggered by the coronavirus outbreak.

High street retailers and pharmacies confirmed that the cost of sourcing paracetamol, ibuprofen and aspirin had all risen sharply in recent weeks, in some cases by as much as 30%, as drugs wholesalers sought to pass on higher costs.

Some independent pharmacies are struggling with the wholesale price rises – one reported having to push through several successive increases – while big chains have largely been able to use their financial firepower to absorb the costs.

Christian Jakobsson, the managing director of online pharmacy Medino, said its supplier was now charging 85p for 32 capsules of 500mg paracetamol, which was a third – or 21p – more than in February. “We have seen similar price increases for ibuprofen,” he added.

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Boots said it was aware of some wholesale price increases, but said: “Customers can be reassured that the cost of their regular brands, including Boots own brand paracetamol, has not and will not go up. The same is true for our antibacterial products.”

It is understood that Aspar Pharmaceuticals, a major supplier of pain relief medicines to chemists and supermarkets, including market leader Tesco, wrote to clients this week asking for a near 20% price increase on its aspirin and paracetamol. Another supplier, Bell’s Healthcare, is also understood to have asked for a similar price rise on ibuprofen.

In its letter to clients, Aspar said it had been forced to put up prices as there was a shortage of raw materials from both China and India, pushing up the cost of its supplies. Aspar declined to comment.

Last week India, the world’s biggest supplier of generic drugs, limited the export of certain medicines, including paracetamol. The Chinese shutdown has fractured the industry’s supply chain as many of India’s drugmakers get their base ingredients there.

Some suppliers have placed limits on the volume of pain relief products they will provide to retailers and pharmacies, to ensure stock is distributed evenly around the country. In turn, many retailers are limiting the number of boxes of pain relief and children’s medication shoppers can purchase.

Boots said it had seen an increase in sales of hand sanitisers and cold, flu and pain relief medication. On Tuesday it imposed a limit of two items per customer on cough and cold medication, pain relief, children’s medicines, thermometers and tissues, in addition to baby sterilising and antibacterial products, hand sanitiser and handwash.

“Given current demand, we are exploring new avenues of supply and alternative brands,” said a Boots spokeswoman. “We will endeavour to price appropriately, to reflect costs within our control.”

Phoenix, the owner of the Rowlands pharmacy chain, said it had seen a considerable increase in demand for medicines such as paracetamol and Calpol. It said it had put order restrictions in place on some products to “ensure equitable supply across the UK”.

Phoenix confirmed that prices for some medicines had increased, but said: “This is beyond the control of medicine distributors like Phoenix.”

McKesson, the pharmaceuticals supplierthat owns the Lloyds pharmacy chain, said it had processes in place with suppliers and manufacturers “designed to help minimise the impact of shortages and ensure we are able to provide a consistent supply of critical products”.

A spokesperson said: “We are experiencing an unprecedented demand for over-the-counter pain relief and are doing everything we can to ensure we provide a consistent supply of medicines. This includes sourcing from multiple providers and putting commitments in place with manufacturers to secure supply.”