An hormone replacement therapy (HRT) medication for menopause is to be limited to two-month prescriptions as the supplier “struggled to meet rising demand”.

The government has issued a serious shortage protocol (SSP) across the UK for Utrogestan 100mg tablets, which are a form of progesterone.

The order provisionally ends in August, according to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), and will “ensure more women can continue to access the medication they need”.

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A statement announcing the SSP said: “Deliveries are frequently being made by the manufacturer, Besins, but they have struggled to meet rising demand.

“The manufacturer is taking steps to increase supply, but in the meantime the SSP will support access to available stock.”

The DHSC “continues to monitor the HRT supply position very closely and work together with industry, the NHS and other key partners to help ensure the continuity of supply of HRT medicines across the UK for everyone that needs them”.

Last year there were supply issues around HRT for menopause, and several SSPs were put in place for various treatments.

At the time, the DHSC said greater awareness around menopause and more confidence among GPs prescribing the treatments had caused an increase in demand.

Figures from OpenPrescribing suggested last year that nearly 538,000 prescriptions for HRT treatment were issued in December 2021, compared with 238,000 in January 2017.

As well as limiting the length of prescriptions, the government says it is taking other actions to increase the supply of HRT – including adding some medicines to the list of products which cannot be exported or hoarded.

Health minister Maria Caulfield said: “Today’s decisive action will mean more women will be able to access this medicine, and I want to reassure women that the vast majority of HRT products are in good supply.

“The overall supply of HRT products has improved considerably over the last year and I am encouraged by how industry is responding to the growth in demand and our continued calls for action to boost supply to meet it.

“We continue working to help ensure continuity of supply – which is a key part of increasing support for menopausal and pre-menopausal women and improving their quality of life.”

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