The war in Iran has caused the cost of some everyday medicines such as painkillers and cardiovascular drugs to skyrocket, pharmacists have warned.
Customers of some community pharmacies are turning up to find the price of over-the-counter medicines is changing on a daily basis, with some being charged up to 30 per cent more for paracetamol than they were in February.
One specific type of aspirin which cost £2 before the war is now costing chemists almost £10 to buy per pack – with a warning that prices will ultimately have to be passed on to consumers.
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NEWS
Half term holiday? Think again
The Iran war threatens to further impact European travel due to the region’s heavy reliance on jet fuel imports from the Middle East (Photo: Isabel Infantes/Reuters)
Holidays during the May half-term break could face cancellations and disruption, with some airlines warning that jet fuel supplies are only stable for the next four weeks.
Iran war sparks travel fears
Fears about dwindling supplies due to the US-Israeli war with Iran are also pushing flight prices higher.
The International Energy Agency has warned several European countries “may start to face shortages of jet fuel in the next six weeks”.
Most European airlines have hedged their jet fuel costs (Photo: Markus Mainka/Getty)
Europe has just six weeks of jet fuel supplies, experts have warned (Photo by JEFF PACHOUD / AFP via Getty Images)
EasyJet Spain’s CEO, Javier Gandara, has said it is “difficult” to see if an adequate supply of jet fuel will be available beyond the next three or four weeks.
‘Catastrophic’ impact
Airlines are set to receive guidance from the EU on how to handle airport slots and passenger rights in the event of jet fuel shortages, and the European Commission is setting up a “fuel observatory” to monitor supplies.
Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the bloc’s transport chief, warned a prolonged blockage of the strait would be “catastrophic” for Europe and the global economy.
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Caption: A young woman in a pink trench coat and with blonde hair blowing her nose into a handkerchief outside in an autumn setting. The scene evokes the feeling of cold autumn weather and suggests that the woman has a cold or is suffering from allergies.
Photographer: SimpleImages
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
LABEL – CATEGORY
Hay fever sufferers enduring symptoms for two weeks longer than in the 1990s
Hay fever sufferers now endure symptoms for two weeks longer than 30 years ago, according to the Lancet Countdown in Europe 2026 report.
Why is hay fever season longer?
Hay fever occurs when a person is allergic to pollen from trees, grass and weeds and is common between late March and September.
Climate change has prolonged the flowering season of plants that release allergenic pollen, according to the study.
It found an earlier season start of one to two weeks was detected for all allergenic trees from 2015-2024, compared with 1991-2000.
Hay fever getting worse in Britain
The UK has one of the highest allergy rates in the world
39%
The proportion of British children who suffer from allergies
Meanwhile, 30% of UK adults are said to be affected by allergies
62,000
The study also noted a rise in heat-related deaths across Europe
A total of 62,000 deaths in 2024 follows a rise across almost all European regions
Warning over NHS care for allergy sufferers
The report warns that care and treatment for allergies are “dramatically under-resourced” within the NHS.
“Climate change has prolonged the pollen season by one to two weeks, increasing the duration of exposure for people with allergic rhinitis,” the authors said.
Grass pollen season is at peak in the UK (Photo: Getty)
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Tomato shortages and £9 pints – the reality of food-price surge ahead
Shortages of bacon and croissants expected if the Iran war continues to rock food supply chains.
Pints costing £9 could become normal in London and £7 elsewhere in the country (Photo: Adermark Media/Getty)
BBQs facing summer shortages
Summer BBQs could be particularly affected if producers struggle to get hold of the supplies they need for beer, sausages and salads.
UK fruit and veg growers say soaring energy costs may cause gaps in fresh produce aisles as soon as May.
CO2 shortages would impact on pig slaughter, potentially affecting bacon and sausages (Photo: Nicholas.T.Ansell/PA Wire
Source: PA)
NEWS
Hormuz crisis to hit cost of a pint in your local pub
Rachel Reeves has announced that pubs and music venues would get 15 per cent off their business rates bills from April (Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA)
Prices at both supermarkets and pubs are expected to rise, as uncertainty continues to surround the crucial Strait of Hormuz shipping route.
Shoppers face an extra £470 a year in food shopping bills while £9 pints could become normal in London and £7 elsewhere, pub owners have warned
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CO2 supply may be hit if Strait of Hormuz blockages last until summer, the Government warns.
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Superintendent pharmacist Ali Hussain, who runs Chigwell Pharmacy and two others in Essex, said medicine price rises have been exacerbated by the war in the Middle East.
He said a 32-pack of paracetamol had doubled in price since the start of the year, while cetirizine, an over-the-counter medication for hay fever, was also around twice as much than it had been in January.
“We anticipate this to get worse in the coming months and will have no choice but to pass on the increases. Our wholesalers will, no doubt, start to introduce fuel surcharges to us very soon,” Hussain said.
Ashley Cohen, who has pharmacies in Halton in Leeds and Acomb in York, has already had to pass on the costs to patients.
He said: “We are changing our [over-the-counter] medicines prices on a daily basis because of the prices. It is almost like the price of fuel.
“Hayfever medication cetirizine was 19p and I am now getting it for 37p. But some suppliers are selling it for £3.”
Surges in the price of fuel as a result of the war have pushed up manufacturing and transportation costs in the pharmaceutical sector, with pharmacies hit with the higher prices for drugs.
Soaring freight costs are also affecting the cost and supply of medicines, and the NHS is particularly exposed to this as one in five NHS medicines are imported by air.
Leyla Hannbeck, pharmacist and chief executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association, which represents around 5,000 pharmacies in England and Wales, said March and April were “breaking the record” for the number of medicines that have gone up in price.
“It’s everything and anything really,” Hannbeck said. “Aspirin, for example, has jumped up really heavily. Aspirin 75g dispersible tablets… a pack of 100 has gone from £2.46 to £9.96 in March. The smaller size (28 tablets) has gone from 69p to £2.80.”
Hannbeck said while some over-the-counter allergy medicines used for hay fever have increased in price, pharmacies were being hardest hit by the increase in the cost of prescription medicines which they have a legal duty to dispense, even if it means doing so at a loss.
One of the most common strengths of co-codamol, which is used to treat aches and ailments including period pain and migraines, has increased from £4.30 to £6.70, with another strength having increased from £6.13 to £8.44, Hannbeck said.
Pharmacies generate around 90 per cent of their income from providing NHS services and dispensing NHS medicines, for which they are reimbursed at a set price.
In instances where pharmacies cannot source medicines at or below the reimbursement price outlined in the Drug Tariff, the Department of Health and Social Care can introduce a price concession at the request of Community Pharmacy England. This means pharmacies can be paid more for medicines that have soared in price – but only for the month in which the concession is issued.
In March, 230 medicines were listed on the price concessions list, up from 90 in March 2025.
Olivier Picard, pharmacist and chair of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), said paracetamol had risen from 41p to £1.99 for a pack of 100 500mg tablets in March, before reducing to £1.09.
“The cost of paracetamol between the 15 March and the 31 March quadrupled,” he said.
Picard added that if the price goes up significantly, his customers could also face higher prices for the everyday painkiller.
“There is a risk for those limited number of medicines that are available over-the-counter, patients may have to pay more to access these medicines,” he said.
The financial pressure of dispensing medicines at a loss repeatedly for months can be too much for some pharmacies, forcing them to close. Around 1,400 have shut since 2016, according to analysis by the NPA.
Thorrun Govind, a pharmacist based in Manchester, said: “It takes so much more time trying to purchase drugs nowadays than it used to. We are unable to plan for the future because of price changes so it is a struggle.”