UK firm steps in to ease medicine supply crisis in NHS

Amid reports that a shortage of bone cement is leading to delays in some patients getting orthopaedic surgeries, UK company Biocomposites has brought forward the launch of a product that could plug the gap.

Earlier this week, NHS England said that production problems at German company Heraeus Medical – which is the main supplier of bone cement to the NHS – would interrupt supplies for up to two months.

As a result, health trusts have been asked to prioritise emergency cases of surgery for knee, hip, and shoulder replacements over patients who are on the elective surgery waiting list, such as those with severe pain or complex conditions.

Now, Keele, Staffordshire-based Biocomposites has said it will bring forward the UK launch of its Synicem bone cement product, acquired when it took over France's Synimed in 2022, and double production to a million packs a year.

The company, which grew out of the Stoke-on-Trent pottery district and specialises in ceramic-based orthopaedic products, said it had been planning to launch Synicem bone cement later this year in the UK, but has accelerated its plans "to help ease the supply crisis that is currently unfolding."

According to a BBC report this week, there are currently 850,000 patients on the waiting list in England requiring planned treatment to their joints, and hospitals are down to their last two weeks of bone cement supply.

Yesterday, patient advocacy group Arthritis UK said that the threat of cancellations and delays to procedures is "a crushing blow for those individuals who have finally made it to the front of the orthopaedic surgery queue after a long time waiting."

The organisation's chief executive, Deborah Alsina, has urged hospitals "to communicate quickly with those affected to avoid additional worry and uncertainty."

The unfolding crisis comes shortly after a report from the House of Lords Public Services Committee called for government action to manage medicines shortages, saying it has become "a national security issue."

The committee has concluded that the government is not doing enough to tackle "fragile supply chains" for medicines and is currently focusing on "reactive actions when shortages have already occurred." It alluded to a survey in 2025 in which 73% of pharmacy workers reported ongoing issues with medicine supply that are putting patients at risk.

Since then, the MHRA has launched Project Revive, a 12-month pilot partnered with NHS England and generic pharmaceutical trade organisation Medicines UK, that will offer speedy regulatory advice and guaranteed NHS purchasing of 378 'dormant' medicines "that have either failed to attract sufficient supply through NHS England tenders or which the health service believes are supply resilience risk and represent a strategic priority."

The concept behind the pilot was first outlined in the government’s policy paper on managing a robust and resilient supply of medicines, which was published last summer.

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