UK supply status for Creon — used for pancreatic enzyme replacement (cystic fibrosis, pancreatitis)
Active shortage affecting some presentations — official DHSC / NHSBSA data list a current shortage for: Creon® 25000 capsules (SSP061); National Patient Safety Alert: Shortage of Pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) – Additional actions (official data last checked 12 November 2026, 06:18 UTC). Other forms of Creon may not be affected — check with your pharmacy before travelling.
Protocol until: 08 January 2027
An NHS Serious Shortage Protocol is in place until 08 January 2027.
Under this protocol, if your prescription is for more than one month's supply, your pharmacist may give you one month's supply, if you agree. The rest of that prescription can't be supplied later, so ask your prescriber or GP practice for your next prescription in good time.
From the official notice: NHSBSA SSP061, issued 24 May 2024.
Expected: see the official wording
The details differ by product, strength or date. Check yours in the official wording below.
The notice says
Creon® 10,000 and 25,000 capsules remain in limited supply until 2026.
Nutrizym® 22 capsules and Pancrex V® capsules and powder are intermittently available but are unable to fully cover the gap in supply.
From the official notice: Patient safety alert.
Don't stop or change your medicine on your own. Ask your pharmacist or GP.
Not medical advice. MediWatch reports official UK medicine supply data; it is not a substitute for advice from a pharmacist, GP or prescriber. Do not stop, change or switch a medicine without speaking to them first. If you are unwell, contact NHS 111, or call 999 in an emergency. How we check our information.
We'll email you only when this medicine's status actually changes — including when its official shortage notice ends. Most weeks that's nothing, and that's good news. Your first 5 tracked medicines are free.
MediWatch does not guarantee live local stock. Call the pharmacy to confirm before travelling, and never stop or change medication without medical advice.
⚠️ Creon 10000 and 25000: limited supply. SSP060 ended 2 October 2026; SSP061 runs until 8 January 2027. NHSBSA Serious Shortage Protocols SSP060 (Creon® 10000 capsules) and SSP061 (Creon® 25000 capsules) let pharmacists limit supply from 24 May 2024. NHSBSA lists SSP060 as ended on 2 October 2026. SSP061 was amended on 2 October 2026 and runs until 8 January 2027 (checked 17 October 2026): if your Creon® 25000 prescription is for more than one month, your pharmacist may supply one month’s worth — ask your pharmacist what that means for your next supply. The DHSC National Patient Safety Alert NatPSA/2024/013 said Creon 10,000 and 25,000 capsules would remain in limited supply until 2026, with out-of-stock periods between deliveries. See the Creon 10000 and Creon 25000 pages for each strength.
Creon (pancreatin) is used for replacing digestive enzymes in pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, where the pancreas does not make enough of its own (for example in cystic fibrosis or chronic pancreatitis) (source: product information (SmPC) on EMC).
Category: Gastro
While a supply notice is open, individual pharmacies may run out between deliveries. If this happens:
Creon 10000 and 25000 capsules have been in limited supply since 2024. NHSBSA Serious Shortage Protocols SSP060 (Creon 10000) and SSP061 (Creon 25000), which let pharmacists limit how much is supplied at once, started on 24 May 2024 and SSP060 (Creon 10000) ended on 2 October 2026. SSP061 (Creon 25000) runs until 8 January 2027 (NHSBSA, amended 2 October 2026; checked 17 October 2026). The DHSC National Patient Safety Alert NatPSA/2024/013 said Creon 10,000 and 25,000 capsules would remain in limited supply until 2026, with out-of-stock periods between deliveries. Never stop or reduce your enzyme dose yourself; ask your pharmacist, specialist team or GP. Sources: NHSBSA SSP list, NatPSA/2024/013 via CPE.
Creon (pancreatin) is used for replacing digestive enzymes in pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, where the pancreas does not make enough of its own (for example in cystic fibrosis or chronic pancreatitis) (source: product information (SmPC) on EMC).
If your pharmacy cannot supply Creon, ask them to check alternative suppliers. The DHSC patient safety alert NatPSA/2024/013 says: “There is no clinical alternative to PERT.” It also says Nutrizym® 22 capsules and Pancrex V® capsules and powder “are intermittently available but are unable to fully cover the gap in supply.”
Acid reflux and stomach ulcers →
Acid reflux and stomach ulcers →
Acid reflux and stomach ulcers →
Acid reflux and stomach ulcers →
Nausea and vomiting →
Diarrhoea →
Source checked against official shortage sources · Editorial policy · Sources: BNF · NHS SPS