Thread by @thomasdolphin

Government admits: medicine supplies will be delayed by No Deal Brexit - guidance slipped out quietly today advises providers to plan for lead times to more than double.

People's lives are at risk from Brexit.

#DyingForBrexit

gov.uk/guidance/how-h…

Over 5% of all imports to the UK are medicines.
80-90% of all generic medicines are imported from the EU.
3/4 of NHS medicines are generics.

Extra procedures and delays at the border will have a huge impact on the NHS's ability to get medicines to those who need them.

This website has compiled a list of medicines which could be at particular risk of shortages if we have a No Deal Brexit. Includes life-saving medicines like steroids and antidepressants; most common blood pressure and Type 2 diabetic meds are on the list.
e-surgery.com/brexit-crisis-…

Insulin is not on their list but we know that we don't make human insulin in the UK. Without regular insulin injections, Type 1 diabetic patients can die within days. No Deal Brexit threatens the lives of hundreds of thousands. But the government is advising us not to stockpile.

That's not even counting the hidden excess deaths from untreated hypertension or Type 2 diabetes for example, where the secondary consequences of these diseases include higher rates of stroke or heart disease. Shortages of these medicines will have long-lasting effects.

Medicine shortages may sound like scaremongering, but doctors have a duty to speak out about genuine risks. This is *government advice* on delays caused by *government policy*.
This is not okay. We can't assume things will turn out fine. Our patients deserve better.

A People's Vote is the only way to even try to repair the fractures that divide this country. We have to avoid a No Deal Brexit and the huge, totally unnecessary risks it brings to our health, industry, economy and society, and push for a People's Vote to take us forward.