Health and Social Care Portfolio Addresses Potential Pharmacy Supply Shortages

The Health and Social Care Portfolio (HSC) wishes to inform the public of potential supply challenges at the pharmacy. We are currently experiencing delays in receiving a shipment of medical supplies, which may lead to some medications being temporarily out of stock.

This issue is due to a combination of factors including regulatory requirements in South Africa, our main transit point for goods, and subsequent freight delays. We understand how concerning this news may be, and we want to reassure the community that the HSC is actively working to resolve the situation.

Our team is exploring all available options to secure the necessary supplies and minimise the impact on patient care. We are in constant communication with our partners to expedite the shipment and identify alternative solutions.

The public’s patience and understanding during this time are greatly appreciated. We kindly request that you please be mindful that some items may be in limited supply and we ask that you only request what is necessary at this time.

Pharmaceutical manufacturers are obliged to include an expiry date on all medicines, and for legal reasons international regulatory bodies such as the Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organisation have to advise compliance with these dates. However there is little evidence that in most cases drugs are not safe and effective for a long time after the date stated. There have been a number of scientific studies which show that drugs remain usable for many years after the stated date. Given the current supply problems the pharmacy may occasionally dispense drugs which are beyond the stated expiry date. This will only be done in cases where the medicine is essential, there is no in date stock available, and the literature has been consulted to ensure that the drug is safe to use.

For information on this, see the links below.

We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.

For any urgent health concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the hospital or your doctor.

The following links provide further insight into the use of expired medication:

1. Arioua A, et al. (2023).
   Use of Expired Drugs: Patients Benefits versus Industry …
   Finds that some medications, if stored properly, remain safe after expiration; sometimes for many years. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10834166/
2. Gikonyo D, et al. (2019).
   Drug expiry debate: the myth and the reality (PMC)
   90% of more than 100 drugs (prescription & OTC) were “perfectly good” even 15 years past expiry.  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7040264/
3. Harvard Health (Harvard Medical School).
   Is it ok to use medications past their expiration dates?
   Reports that many meds were still effective nearly three years past expiration in a military‐stockpile study.  https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/is-it-ok-to-use-medications-past-their-expiration-dates
4. Beery S. (2019).
   Can medications become harmful after the expiration date? (Nursing journal)
   Discusses which drugs are most risky and why many are low risk.  https://journals.lww.com/nursing/fulltext/2019/08000/can_medications_become_harmful_after_the.4.aspx
5. “The Truth About Expired Drugs: An In‐Depth Review” (Agrawal et al., 2023).
   Review article showing that many drugs keep ~90% potency for at least 5 years beyond expiry under good storage.  https://www.researchgate.net/publication/376352587_THE_TRUTH_ABOUT_EXPIRED_DRUGS_AN_IN-DEPTH_REVIEW
6. Pharmacist.com Blog (“Are expired drugs still safe to use?”).
   Summarizes evidence (e.g. from the DoD’s Shelf Life Extension Program) that many drugs retain potency long after printed expiration dates.  https://www.pharmacist.com/Blogs/CEO-Blog/are-expired-drugs-still-safe-to-use?utm
7. Japan Medical Association Journal / JMAJ (2022‐2024).
   Use of Expired Drugs: Patients Benefits versus Industry …
   Similar findings regarding safety of certain expired drugs with proper storage.  https://www.jmaj.jp/download.php?id=10.31662%2Fjmaj.2022-0209&utm
8. U.S. Department of Defense / FDA Shelf Life Extension Program (SLEP).
   Data show many stockpiled pharmaceuticals remain effective for years after expiration when stored under controlled conditions.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelf_Life_Extension_Program
9. De la Nogal‐Fernández B, et al. Are We Throwing Away Medicines Too Early? (ACS)
   Examines environmental, economic, and clinical arguments for re‐evaluating expiration dates, especially when no alternatives exist.  https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.5c03842
10. Diven, Dayna G. et al. Extending Shelf Life Just Makes Sense Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Volume 90, Issue 11, 1471 – 1474 https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/action/showCitFormats?doi=10.1016%2Fj.mayocp.2015.08.007&pii=S0025-6196%2815%2900667-9