When a medicine becomes difficult to obtain, the first instinct is often simply to ask:
“Can you source this product?”
But for a pharmaceutical wholesaler or specialist importer to investigate the requirement properly, a product name alone is rarely enough.
The exact strength, pharmaceutical form, quantity, timing and product requirements can completely change what supply options are available.
A clear sourcing request allows the wholesaler to search the right markets, identify appropriate stock more quickly and avoid wasting time investigating products that will not meet the pharmacy or procurement team's requirements.
This guide explains the information Alcatia Pharma needs when you ask us to source a medicine, and why each detail matters.
Having difficulty sourcing something?
For most sourcing enquiries, the essential information is:
Additional information such as manufacturer, pack size, minimum shelf life or storage requirements can make the search considerably more precise.
The more complete the requirement, the easier it is to determine whether a viable source exists.
Start with the exact medicine you require.
This could be:
Generic name:
Aztreonam
Active ingredient:
Aztreonam
Brand name:
Where a particular branded medicine is required
Ideally, provide both the generic and brand name where relevant.
This helps avoid ambiguity, particularly where several products share similar names or where different manufacturers market the same molecule in different countries.
If you have the details of the product you normally purchase, include them.
Strength is essential.
For example:
Aztreonam 1 g
is a significantly more useful sourcing request than:
Aztreonam
The same medicine may be available in several strengths, and a shortage may affect one strength while another remains available.
Examples include:
Where relevant, include the concentration as well as the total quantity in the container.
Tell the wholesaler exactly what dosage form is required.
Examples include:
This matters because different formulations are not automatically interchangeable.
An internationally available tablet does not solve a requirement for an injectable medicine, even where the active ingredient and strength appear similar.
For injectable medicines, additional detail about the formulation or presentation can be particularly important.
Specify approximately how much stock you need.
This might be:
20 packs
or:
200 vials
rather than simply saying that you need the medicine urgently.
Quantity matters because international availability can vary significantly.
A supplier may be able to provide ten packs immediately but not 500. Conversely, a manufacturer or larger wholesaler may only consider supply above a particular volume.
Knowing the quantity at the beginning allows the sourcing team to focus on suppliers capable of fulfilling the actual requirement.
Where possible, be explicit.
For example:
50 packs of 10 vials
is clearer than:
50
If you only know the clinical requirement rather than the pack configuration, provide that information and the sourcing team can investigate the available pack sizes.
This is one of the most important pieces of information in any medicine sourcing enquiry.
Tell the wholesaler when you need the stock.
For example:
Required within 48 hours
Required by 21 August
Required within two weeks
International sourcing may involve:
A product may technically be available but not be capable of reaching the customer within the required timeframe.
Providing a realistic required-by date helps distinguish a viable sourcing option from one that is simply too slow.
Tell the supplier whether the request relates to a known UK medicine shortage.
Useful information can include:
This provides context for the enquiry and can help the sourcing team understand whether alternative or international supply routes may be relevant.
You can still submit an enquiry if the medicine is not listed on a national shortage notice.
Local and regional supply difficulties often occur before, or without, a formal national notification.
If you know the answer, tell us.
Typical responses might be:
Licensed UK supply only
Unlicensed import can be considered
Unsure
It is completely acceptable to select unsure.
You do not need to determine the appropriate regulatory route before contacting a specialist pharmaceutical wholesaler.
In many cases, the first stage of the search is establishing what supply routes actually exist.
If licensed UK stock is available, that may be the appropriate route to investigate first.
Where licensed supply cannot meet a genuine clinical need, an imported unlicensed medicine may sometimes become relevant, subject to the appropriate clinical, regulatory and local governance processes.
If a particular manufacturer is required, state this clearly.
For example:
Manufacturer X only
or:
Any manufacturer can be considered
This distinction can dramatically widen or narrow the search.
During a shortage, procurement teams may sometimes be willing to consider an alternative manufacturer provided the product passes the appropriate quality and clinical assessment.
In other cases, the manufacturer may be essential because of:
If the manufacturer is a preference rather than an absolute requirement, make that clear too.
Pack size is another useful detail.
For example:
30 tablets per pack
10 vials per pack
100 ml bottle
Overseas products frequently have different pack configurations from their UK equivalents.
A medicine normally supplied as a UK pack of 28 tablets might be marketed elsewhere in packs of 30, 50 or another quantity.
Knowing whether the pack size is essential or flexible helps the wholesaler assess more possible options.
If your organisation has a minimum acceptable shelf-life requirement, include it from the beginning.
For example:
Minimum six months remaining shelf life on delivery
This is particularly important during shortages because the available international stock may already be part-way through its commercial shelf life.
Without a minimum requirement, a sourcing team may identify technically available stock that your organisation would subsequently be unable to accept.
If your normal shelf-life requirement can be relaxed for urgent shortage supply, indicate this where appropriate.
Tell the supplier about any specific storage requirements.
Examples include:
Cold-chain products require different sourcing and logistics arrangements from ordinary ambient medicines.
International transportation can therefore have a significant impact on both lead time and cost.
For temperature-sensitive medicines, the sourcing team also needs to determine whether the proposed supply chain can maintain the required conditions throughout transit.
Sometimes a procurement team may have restrictions relating to where a medicine can be sourced.
If so, tell the supplier.
For example:
This can affect the number of viable supply options.
If you do not have a particular geographic requirement, there is usually no need to specify one. A specialist importer can search the appropriate international markets.
For an imported or otherwise unfamiliar product, your pharmacy or quality team may require supporting documentation.
Depending on the product, this could include information relating to:
If you know that particular documents will be required before the product can be approved, state this early.
It allows the sourcing team to establish whether the prospective supplier can provide them before significant time is spent progressing the enquiry.
A sourcing enquiry should identify the organisation requiring the medicine.
For example:
The sourcing team will normally also need a named contact with a work email address and telephone number.
This is particularly important where an enquiry becomes urgent and questions need to be resolved quickly.
Medicine sourcing often involves requirements that are difficult to capture in a standard form.
Include anything that could determine whether a product is acceptable.
For example:
These details can prevent the sourcing team from investigating stock that your organisation would ultimately reject.
If time is limited, provide at least these five things:
What product do you need?
What exact strength or concentration?
Tablet, vial, capsule, solution or another presentation?
How much do you need?
When does it need to arrive?
With these details, a pharmaceutical sourcing team can usually begin investigating the requirement.
Everything else helps narrow the search.
Can you source aztreonam urgently?
There is not enough information here to conduct an efficient search.
The sourcing team would immediately need to ask:
Every additional round of questions costs time.
A much more useful enquiry would be:
Medicine: Aztreonam
Strength: 1 g
Form: Powder for solution for injection
Quantity: 100 vials
Required by: 18 August
Reason: Current UK supply shortage
Supply route: Unlicensed import can be considered
Minimum shelf life: Six months preferred
The sourcing team now has enough information to begin searching appropriate markets immediately.
Once Alcatia receives a requirement, the first step is to assess the request and investigate the available supply routes.
Depending on the medicine, this might include:
Where a potential option is identified, Alcatia can provide the relevant information to allow the procurement and pharmacy teams to determine whether the product meets their requirements.
A sourcing request does not itself guarantee supply. Availability can change quickly, particularly during widespread shortages.
During a medicine shortage, multiple organisations may be searching for the same stock at the same time.
International quantities can therefore change rapidly.
The time spent clarifying a vague request can matter.
Providing the exact product requirement from the outset means a sourcing team can move more quickly from:
“What exactly do you need?”
to:
“Here are the potential supply options.”
For procurement teams dealing with shortages regularly, establishing a standard internal sourcing request template can therefore make the process significantly more efficient.
Submit the enquiry anyway.
You may know that your usual wholesaler cannot supply the product without yet knowing:
That should not prevent the search from starting.
Provide everything you know and identify areas where there is flexibility.
A specialist wholesaler can then investigate the potential options and come back with the additional product information your team needs to make a decision.
Alcatia Pharma works with pharmacy teams, healthcare organisations and pharmaceutical wholesalers to investigate difficult-to-source medicines.
To start a search, tell us:
Medicine
Strength
Form
Quantity
Required-by date
Then add any manufacturer, pack, shelf-life or other requirements that matter to your organisation.
Tell us what you need and our sourcing team can investigate the available supply options.
This article is intended to provide general information for healthcare procurement and pharmaceutical supply professionals. It does not constitute clinical, legal or regulatory advice. Procurement and use of medicines, including unlicensed medicines, should follow applicable regulatory requirements and the receiving organisation's clinical and governance procedures.