Quick answer: The official notices for Lansoprazole (NHSBSA SSP089, NHSBSA SSP088, DHSC MSN/2026/044) name what is still available, and a Serious Shortage Protocol is in place. They are quoted word for word below.
Do not switch, stop or change Lansoprazole yourself. Whether a different strength, form, brand or medicine is right for you is a decision for your pharmacist or prescriber, who knows your history.
What the official notices say about alternatives to Lansoprazole
Lansoprazole 30mg orodispersible: Serious Shortage Protocol (NHSBSA SSP089)
An NHS Serious Shortage Protocol is in place until 15 January 2027.
What this protocol allows: 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. No prescription charge applies to NHS prescriptions supplied this way.
Source: NHSBSA, NHSBSA SSP089. Read the protocol itself before relying on it.
Lansoprazole 15mg orodispersible: Serious Shortage Protocol (NHSBSA SSP088)
An NHS Serious Shortage Protocol is in place until 15 January 2027.
What this protocol allows: 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. No prescription charge applies to NHS prescriptions supplied this way.
Source: NHSBSA, NHSBSA SSP088. Read the protocol itself before relying on it.
Lansoprazole 15/30mg orodispersible (DHSC MSN/2026/044)
Status: In limited supply until early January 2027.
What the notice says is still available (official wording):
- “Lansoprazole 15mg and 30mg gastro-resistant capsules remain available and can support increased demand.”
In plain English: There's enough stock if people are switched to it. - “Alternative proton pump inhibitors remain available.”
Source: DHSC MSN/2026/044, Department of Health and Social Care medicine supply notification. Quoted word for word; check the notice for your exact strength and form.
Is a different medicine an option for me?
Only your prescriber can decide that. MediWatch does not suggest equivalents: medicines that look similar can differ in dose, how they are taken, interactions and side effects. If your pharmacy can't supply Lansoprazole, ask your GP or prescriber what they recommend for you. The BNF and the NHS medicines A to Z are the official references they use.
What to ask your pharmacist
- Is this a local stock problem, or the national shortage in the notice above?
- Is a Serious Shortage Protocol active for my exact product, and what does it let you supply?
- Can you get my exact strength and form from another wholesaler, or is another pharmacy more likely to have it?
- If my prescription has to change, what exactly should I ask my GP for?
Want to know the moment this changes? Check Lansoprazole status and track it free.
Related
Lansoprazole shortage status
The live national record for this medicine, updated daily.
Run out already?
How to get an emergency supply today: the pharmacy route and the NHS 111 route.
NHS 111 emergency supply guide
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Emergency supply by medicine
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Track a medicine free →Written by the MediWatch editorial team and checked against the official sources above on 12 November 2026. This page is information, not medical advice. Always follow your pharmacist, GP, specialist, NHS 111 or urgent-care advice for your own medicine. Report an accuracy issue.
This page was written by the MediWatch editorial team and checked for accuracy against NHS, NHSBSA and legislation.gov.uk guidance. Shortage information comes from official DHSC medicine supply notifications and NHSBSA Serious Shortage Protocols. See our editorial policy and data sources.