HUNDREDS of thousands of Brits could be left without vital medication as the NHS faces a shortage of common drugs.
Medicines such as pain relief, steroids, blood pressure tablets and anti-depressants may become unavailable.
It comes as women across the UK have been left without an adequate supply of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to treat menopause symptoms.
The country's Vaccine Taskforce, which was deployed during the Covid jab rollout has now been enlisted to help.
Meanwhile Brits are also facing a shortage of hayfever medication, just as grass pollen season is about to take hold.
Increasing costs of raw materials supplied from China and India has meant that Brits are facing a 'perfect storm' when it comes to the supply of the most used pills.
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One manufacturer told the i: "It is a perfect storm of supply chain problems and a failure to appreciate that there are very fine margins in a drug being viable to produce or not.
"We are having to look at our portfolio constantly to see where we can, or can't, meet supply demands."
The British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA) said the availability of these 'generic' drugs is under 'unprecedented pressure'.
Chief executive of the group, Mark Samuels, stressed that the impact of supply issues will be 'unhelpful' for the NHS.
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"We are in the middle of a terrible HRT shortage but there are other medicines and other areas that are at risk of shortage. "
He added that generic medicines have been taken for granted.
Data seen by the i states that there has been a 25 per cent increase in supply issues in the last month in 49 generic medications supplied to the NHS.
Of these, 44 have no alternative – meaning patients will be unable to access the right drugs for their ailements.
In some cases, patients will have to book in again to see their GP so they can be prescribed something else.
Why you shouldn’t buy prescription drugs online
Many medications are now available online, but experts say you should be wary about purchasing them if you can no longer get what you need from your GP.
Martin Preston, Founder and CEO at Delamere said it's important to recognise when providers are legitimate.
He said: "Regulated pharmacies will have a have a green and white logo displayed on their website that says “check if this website is operating legally.
"By clicking this you will be able to find a list of approved pharmacies and what medications they are allowed to sell."
However, he said he never recommends buying online as the risks outweigh the benefits.
"While it might be convenient for some, visiting your local pharmacy is always the best option when buying prescription medication as there are trained professionals on hand to help you," he added.
Around 500,000 patients are set to face issues due to the availability problems.
While many drugs will be unavailable, the report found that certain compounds which are used to create other medications may also not be on hand.
That means people with eye conditions, and those who use heart arrhythmia medication might also struggle to get what they need.
Manufacturers are also concerned that the regulator, The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) are taking too long to approve manufacturing of generic drugs.
In some cases, sources claimed that they were taking 18 months.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Health said: "We are doing everything we can to ensure people can continue to access the treatments they need.
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"We have well-established procedures to deal with medicine shortages and work closely with industry, the NHS and others to prevent shortages and resolve any issues as soon as possible."
The MHRA said it regularly accelerates its approval process.
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