Olivier Picard, chair of the NPA, said the association is \u201cconcerned\u201d about these reports and its implications on patients; 51 million aspirin items were prescribed in the U.K. between January and October last year.<\/p>\n
“For those pharmacies that can get hold of supply, costs will far exceed what they will be reimbursed by the [National Health Service], yet more signs of a fundamentally broken pharmacy contract in desperate need of reform by the government,\u201d Picard said.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump made headlines<\/a> for saying he takes a high daily dose of aspirin as it\u2019s \u201cgood for thinning out the blood, and I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart.\u201d <\/p>\n He reportedly takes four times the recommended daily dose for cardiovascular disease prevention. On Thursday, Trump blamed<\/a> the medication for his visible hand bruise at Davos.<\/p>\n In the U.K., pharmacists cannot offer patients substitutions for a prescribed medication, such as a different strength or formulation, without a new doctor’s prescription. The government is looking into<\/a> the possibility of changing this. <\/p>\n “We’ve long called for pharmacists to be able to make substitutions where a medicine is not in stock and it is safe to supply an alternative,\u201d he said. \u201cThe status quo is not only frustrating for patients, it is also dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n The government added aspirin to its export ban list on Jan. 16 amid the ongoing shortage.<\/p>\n