Hormone therapy in menopause is now being rationed until October as pharmacies struggle to refill the best drugs.
Health ministers this week added a three-month extension to a ban on lengthy prescriptions for hard-to-find drugs.
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Rising demand for patients’ favorite Estrogel is driving supply drought, with limits also being imposed on 11 other hormone replacement therapies.
The three-month rationing decision, known as a severe shortage protocol, was first imposed in April and ended this week — but has now been extended for a further three months.
A government source said supplies have improved since the spring, but some drugs are still having problems with delivery.
Health Minister Maria Caulfield told The Sun: “As the demand for HST has skyrocketed, we have seen some supply chain problems that have caused shortages of certain products.
“It will of course take time to ensure that there is a sustainable supply in the long term to meet the rising demand.
“Therefore, we are acting cautiously and taking precautions by extending most of the current severe shortage protocols.
“This will continue to limit the prescribing of certain products to a three-month supply and allow pharmacists to offer substitute products where necessary.”
Ministers had to act in April when many women found they could not get HRT prescriptions.
The rub-on estrogen treatment Estrogel was hit hardest by shortages and makers Besins Healthcare even opened a new factory to meet demand.
An HRT task force is now working with suppliers to boost production as The Sun’s Fabulous Menopause Matters campaign calls for more help for women experiencing the change.
dr. Paula Briggs, of the British Menopause Society, said: “The situation is evolving and it is good that we now have someone in government actively monitoring it.
“There has also been a lot more attention from pharmaceutical companies, who keep us informed on a regular basis.
“The deliveries are very variable across the country and they come in and out — but most people have access to their treatment or a temporary alternative.”