Shortage of key blood pressure drug triggers one-month prescription limit for UK patients

The drug, which helps the heart pump blood more efficiently by relaxing blood vessels, ranks among the five most frequently dispensed medications in England.

NHS figures reveal pharmacies handed out ramipril more than 35 million times last year alone.

Costs have surged dramatically in recent weeks wherever stock remains available, adding further pressure to an already strained supply chain.

Olivier Picard, chair of the National Pharmacy Association, voiced alarm at the developing crisis, telling Sun Health: "We are concerned by this recent shortage, with a number of pharmacies being unable to order some strengths of Ramipril as well as seeing the cost soar in recent weeks, in instances where stock can be found."

He stressed that millions of patients depend on the medication daily.

"Pharmacies are increasingly facing supply problems affecting everyday medicines on which millions rely every day," Mr Picard added.

While alternative treatments exist, he cautioned that the Government must carefully manage these supplies to meet any surge in demand.

The crisis extends far beyond a single medication, with health experts cautioning that the NHS could exhaust supplies of common prescription drugs and vital cancer treatments as early as June unless the Middle East conflict is resolved.

Pharmacy leaders and medicines wholesalers report that several manufacturers are "receiving only around a quarter of their usual volumes due to the conflict in Iran".

NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey warned at the end of March that the health service faces potential shortages of medicines alongside critical supplies such as syringes and gloves.

Dr Leyla Hannbeck, CEO of the Independent Pharmacies Association, told Sun Health: "The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is going to make this worse over the coming weeks."

A House of Lords committee report published in February concluded that medicine shortages in Britain constitute a national security matter deserving greater priority from policymakers.

Mr Picard highlighted that "fragility in the global supply chain is worsened by international instability and the fact that long-term underfunding of pharmacies has driven down the price for medicines in the UK to unsustainable levels".

The stakes could hardly be higher, with an estimated 14 million adults across the country now living with high blood pressure.

The condition, which often presents no symptoms until serious damage occurs, significantly increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure and dementia.