// BBC HEALTH NEWS — SALUTE
Patient living in 'horrific pain' due to UK-wide drugs shortage
Jill Kenning experiences constant pain in her eye, which she compared to being "stabbed with a hot poker"
A woman with multiple sclerosis (MS) has said she is living with "horrific pain" after being unable to get a drug she uses to manage her condition.
Jill Kenning has used Nabilone for 17 of the 18 years since she was diagnosed with MS and said the drug had been vital for managing her pain and helping her live a normal life.
She said she had spent most of her time in bed since running out of the drug last Tuesday.
Northern Ireland's devolved health department said there was disruption to supplies of the drug across the UK, meaning Nabilone was out of stock with wholesalers and not expected to be available again until December.
A spokesperson said they would not say why there was disruption as the information was "commercially sensitive".
According to a tracker published by the industry reference guide MIMS, the average number of drugs in short supply in the UK has trended upward this year, external.
The number of drugs in short supply reached 157 this week, up from a low of 107 in January.
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