Fears that children's painkillers could soon vanish from the shelves of high street pharmacies have been raised by a medical chief. According to reports, warehouses are near empty of liquid painkillers such as Calpol and chemists are struggling to find supplies.
Dr Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Association for Independent Multiple Pharmacies, told The Mail other products such as Lemsip and Gaviscon are scarce as well. The shortages are being blamed on difficulties with the production of raw ingredients from China and India, as well as the soaring price of glass used for the bottles.
Dr Hannbeck told The Mail: "Pharmacists are spending a lot of time trying to ensure we get drips of medicines coming through – at least one variant of each – so patients are not left completely high and dry. It's not just children's painkillers that are affected – it's a range of other very common medicines including Sterimar congestion relief nasal spray for babies, Lemsip, Gaviscon, Optrex and Senokot.
