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A woman suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) has described enduring “horrific pain” after becoming unable to obtain a medication crucial for managing her symptoms due to a UK-wide shortage. Jill Kenning, who has relied on the drug Nabilone for most of the 18 years since her diagnosis, said this medicine plays an essential role in controlling her pain and enabling her to maintain a semblance of normal life. However, since running out of Nabilone last Tuesday, she has largely been confined to bed.
The health department in Northern Ireland has confirmed that there is a disruption affecting supplies of Nabilone across the UK. Wholesalers have currently run out of stock, and the drug is not expected to be available until December. While the department declined to specify the reasons behind the shortage, citing the information as “commercially sensitive,” data from the industry guide MIMS shows a rising trend in drug shortages across the UK. This year, the number of medicines experiencing supply issues has grown from 107 in January to 157 this week.
Kenning, from Coleraine in County Londonderry, was diagnosed with MS in 2008 after developing vision problems. Her condition progressed to numbness on the left side of her body, and following a serious relapse that required a four-week stay in hospital, she was prescribed Nabilone. She explained the drug’s importance by saying, “It helps me basically that I can get out of bed in the morning.” Without it, Kenning suffers constant eye pain, which she likened to the sensation of being “stabbed with a hot poker.”
Despite being prescribed alternative medications after contacting her health trust, Kenning said these substitutes have not alleviated her symptoms. Her health worsened to the point she needed hospital stays, and she expressed deep distress: “I don’t want to be here any more because the pain is so bad. I don’t know how to describe it. I have been living on painkillers… I can’t sleep, I’m sick, I’m not eating.” She also criticized the lack of preparation for patients affected by the disruption, stating, “How do I live my life? How do I cope with the pain? I’m not only fighting for me, I’m fighting for all the other patients that are on this drug.”
Northern Ireland’s Department of Health (DoH) confirmed that both licensed strengths of Nabilone — 1mg capsules, out of stock since July, and 0.25mg capsules, which became unavailable more recently — are currently unavailable from wholesalers nationwide. The DoH is collaborating with the UK’s Department of Health and Social Care and local health trusts to manage the shortage. Guidance has been issued to healthcare professionals regarding alternative treatments, including unlicensed imports of Nabilone where possible. A spokesperson acknowledged that “medicine supply disruptions can be concerning for patients and the healthcare professionals who care for them” and urged anyone unable to access their prescribed medication or unsure about alternatives to consult their specialist healthcare teams
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