Even Aspirin Isn't Safe From Drug Shortages
Something genuinely alarming is happening in British hospitals and pharmacies: aspirin is running out. Not some specialty medication — aspirin. One of the oldest and most widely used drugs in modern medicine, the one given to heart attack patients in the ambulance, is in short enough supply that 86% of UK pharmacies reported being unable to fill aspirin prescriptions in a recent survey week.
The UK government responded in January by adding aspirin to its export ban list — making it illegal to ship UK aspirin stocks to other countries or to hoard it domestically. The ban came into effect on January 17, 2026.
Now a new survey is revealing how badly hospitals themselves are affected. Sixty-two percent of 42 NHS hospital trusts surveyed reported drug supply problems over the winter. The shortages go beyond aspirin — paracetamol (the UK's equivalent of Tylenol), co-codamol (a combination painkiller known in the US as Tylenol with codeine), and ramipril, a common blood pressure medication, are all in short supply. The government has issued special shortage protocols specifically for ramipril.
Why Aspirin Is Running Low
The bulk of aspirin production happens in India. Manufacturing delays at the primary suppliers disrupted the global supply chain and the UK — which the Independent Pharmacies Association says pays companies particularly low prices for medications — ended up at the back of the queue when supplies tightened.
The price consequences have been stark. A packet of aspirin 75mg dispersible tablets — the low-dose format used to prevent strokes and heart attacks in high-risk patients — went from 18 pence earlier in 2025 to £3.90 by January 2026. That's a more than 20-fold price increase on a medication that millions of people depend on daily.
Pharmacists across the UK are rationing what little stock they have, prioritizing patients with the most severe cardiac conditions and those with emergency prescriptions. Many pharmacies have stopped making aspirin available for over-the-counter purchases entirely.
"It is incredibly worrying to see shortages of essential medicines such as aspirin and blood pressure treatments appearing in pharmacies," said Dr. Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association.
Why This Matters Beyond the UK
The UK's aspirin shortage isn't an isolated incident. It's a symptom of structural vulnerabilities in how the world makes essential medicines — vulnerabilities that exist in the US as well.
The United States has its own ongoing drug shortage problem. The FDA's current drug shortage list regularly includes dozens of essential medications at any given time, including chemotherapy drugs, antibiotics, anesthetics, and common heart medications. Like the UK's aspirin situation, American drug shortages are frequently traced to production concentration — too many drugs manufactured by too few facilities, often overseas, with no redundancy in the supply chain when something goes wrong.
The UK government has committed up to £520 million through its Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund to build domestic manufacturing capacity and reduce dependence on foreign suppliers. Whether that investment arrives in time to prevent future shortages of basic medications like aspirin is an open question.
For American patients and healthcare consumers, the UK situation is a warning worth paying attention to. The supply chains that stock US hospital formularies and pharmacy shelves carry the same structural risks. The drug that gets scarce doesn't have to be exotic or expensive. It can be aspirin.
Curious for more stories that keep you informed and entertained? From the latest headlines to everyday insights, YourLifeBuzz has more to explore. Dive into what’s next.