Ireland experienced a paracetamol shortage as Covid-19 and winter flu cases surged during the festive and new year period.

Healthcare workers expressed disbelief at facing such shortages in 2023, highlighting how quickly drug availability issues can reach patients.

Physicians sometimes found themselves unable to provide treatments due to lack of access to necessary medications, leaving patients uncertain about when they might receive vital drugs.

Specific impacts varied depending on the type of condition, especially in oncology, and clinicians had to strategize about dose reductions or alternative therapies when shortages arose.

Widespread shifts to substitute drugs led to concerns about whether supplies for alternative treatments would be adequate, compounding the unpredictability.

The challenges of shortages generated significant additional case management tasks for healthcare staff.

It became crucial for providers to consider drug availability when planning patient treatments, as starting a regimen only to find a drug out of stock can derail care.

Access difficulties were especially hard for patients unable to travel elsewhere for medications.

Shortages extended to over-the-counter pediatric medicines such as children’s Tylenol and ibuprofen, leading to empty pharmacy shelves.

These incidents coincided with a severe flu season and a lingering Covid-19 impact.

Reports indicated many other drug shortages of both over-the-counter and prescription medications during this period, some of which could endanger lives.

Canadian shortages of acetaminophen and ibuprofen were attributed to a lack of raw ingredients.

Broader concerns about global supply chain instability included warnings about the potential impact of geopolitical tensions, such as a future war with China, on medication supplies.

Medical product shortages co-occurred with crises in food items, fuel, and other critical goods due to disrupted supply chains and increased costs.

Survey data indicated that breakdowns in supply chains had become a top concern for the public.

Experts warned that persistent shortages without systemic improvements could compound health crises, particularly in cancer and chronic diseases, and disproportionately affect poorer countries.

Hospitals resorted to care rationing and tried to keep patients on usual therapies unless absolutely necessary to switch, as a means of minimizing disruption.

Efforts in value-based care and digital health innovations aimed to streamline management amid the shortages, but clinicians noted ongoing difficulties knowing which medications would be available at any given moment.

India’s pharmaceutical industry saw increased exports to meet surges in demand from developed countries, reflecting global dependency on certain manufacturing hubs.

Drug shortages affected critical medicines such as those for epilepsy and chronic pain, and even experienced clinicians struggled to learn about which medicines were in stock.

Experts have documented a global shortage of antibiotics due to increasing infectious diseases.

According to Hedman, the situation in poorer or smaller countries is less well understood.

The New York Times reported that the growing shortage of cheap but vital drugs threatens U.S. national security and forces hospitals to make difficult choices, as highlighted in a U.S. Senate report.

Many of the most affordable drugs are manufactured in countries like India and China, where production costs are lower.

In Azerbaijan, parents of children with growth deficiency have struggled to obtain the drug Norditrofin (Nordiflex) free of charge from the state.

Aydin Aliyev described families having to take on debt or sell property to afford medicine for their children.

Anar Melikov, parent of a sick child, confirmed the shortage, stating there had been no medicine for two months and that he had to travel to Iran for treatment.

The OUMTP promised to address the issue by sourcing the drug from another manufacturer.

Concerns were raised about authorities not arranging alternative supplies earlier, which increased demand and caused panic among parents.

Questions were asked about the inconsistency in the distribution of the drug by TƏBİB.

The Azerbaijani Drug Department emphasized the need for timely communication to patients about shortages.

Frank Ulrich Montgomery, Chairman of the World Medical Association, called for a pan-European reserve of medicines to tackle shortages.

In Estonia, the number of drug shortages in pharmacies rose from 183 in 2021 to 359 in 2022 and 450 by the end of the following year, with the causes of shortages for 130 drugs remaining unknown.

Estonian authorities, pharmacists, and doctors aimed to recommend proactive rather than reactive solutions to avoid panic during shortages.

The World Health Organization warned that water shortages in Gaza hospitals threaten 3,500 patients and that shutting down generators could endanger thousands.

WHO noted the depletion of all supplies and equipment in its Gaza warehouse.

WHO predicts global cancer cases will rise to over 35 million by 2050, a 77% increase from 2022.

A Lancet study found a global shortage of 6.4 million doctors, with adequate healthcare staff essential for system functioning and informed national planning.

The study’s author, Dr. Rafael Lozano of IHME, emphasized using this data for policy, while considering quality as well as quantity.

The U.S. FDA has ordered pharmaceutical manufacturers to inform the agency of production interruptions or API supply issues.

Manufacturers are required to notify the FDA at least six months in advance of halting drug production to help prevent shortages.

A mother of a diabetic child reported difficulty obtaining Novo Rapid insulin from insurance due to ongoing shortages, sometimes having to rely on other patients for supply.

She was forced to reduce medicine doses and could only occasionally find a Novo pen at some pharmacies.

There is an expected price increase of up to 50% for many drugs and up to 80% for imported medicines soon.

Pharmacy division leaders stated that some citizens stockpile drugs during shortages, leading to further deprivation for other patients.

Egypt’s Minister of Health asserted that Egypt has the world’s cheapest medicines and 95% of needs are covered domestically, assuring support for the unable.

The Ministry of Health cited the completion of 24 hospital development projects and announced 20 new hospital projects with nearly 2,750 beds.

Heavy pressure on hospitals has resulted in some cases being unable to receive necessary treatment, leading to complications.

Poor patients have suffered greatly due to medicine shortages, with long queues forming at ambulance pharmacies.

Essential medicines for chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart, nerve, and colon conditions were sometimes unavailable, putting patients’ lives at risk.

Complaints about shortages have been made to authorities without resolution, and the crisis continues.

Some central pharmacies reportedly have enough resources to supply hospitals, while others face indebtedness and lack of stock.

A lack of medicine endangers patient health and highlights the need for a constant supply to ensure high-quality healthcare.

The Jordanian Minister of Health denied shortages but said efforts are underway for rationalized use.

Ongoing conflict and blockade threaten to halt Yemen’s health system and the National Drug Supply Program.

This program has provided quality medicines for the first time and benefits 169,627 chronic disease patients.

Calls were made for international pressure to allow medical device imports in areas under occupation.

A global panel discussed the need for political will and investment to sustain pandemic preparedness and secure healthcare supply chains.

Maintaining a free flow of goods and significant investment are required to improve healthcare access.

The lack of medicine continues to be a significant concern globally.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to disseminate drug supply and alternative drug information through various channels.

Rare disease patients require access to doctor care, medications, and protection.

Although individual rare disease incidence rates are extremely low, the large number of rare diseases means a significant total number of patients are affected.

Song Li emphasized the importance of preventing and controlling rare diseases at the source.

In many smaller cities and rural areas, rare disease patients face difficulties in obtaining diagnoses, often traveling to different locations for treatment.

The new national medical insurance catalogue, implemented March 1, 2023, added seven new drugs for rare diseases, including the oral solution of risparam for spinal muscular atrophy.

There is hope for improved treatments for patients such as Yang Mao.

Some families avoid discussing the prognosis after hearing from doctors that "there is no cure."

Yin Jian believes that having available medications and choices enables better patient care.

Patients now benefit from increased independence and improved participation in activities.

Information sharing about available drugs is encouraged to broaden awareness.

There has been a recent increase in demand and sales enthusiasm for certain medications.

Taiwan has experienced a prolonged egg shortage for over a year due to government interventions affecting production incentives.

Taiwan's reputation for accessible and affordable health insurance is now challenged by reports of drug shortages in pharmacies.

Claims about the pandemic being the primary cause of current shortages are no longer entirely accurate.

Healthcare professionals and organizations call on the government to address drug deficiencies and improve patient participation.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare is urged to respond actively to the drug shortage crisis.

At the beginning of 2023, drug shortages in China worsened, with many community pharmacies unable to supply essential medications.

Ireland experienced a paracetamol shortage as Covid-19 and winter flu cases surged during the festive and new year period.

Title:

Content: Ireland has been suffering a paracetamol shortage as cases of Covid-19 and the winter flu in the country soared over the festive and new year period.

The revelation was made by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly after his department received notification of a supply issue from the Health Products Regulatory Authority.

It is understood the shortage impacted some prescription paracetamol products.

Read More:Irish people complain of ‘worst ever’ winter bug sweeping country that feels like Covid but isn’t

Two suppliers affected have stated that resupply will be sometime in January 2023.

However, there are other prescription paracetamol suppliers with some stock available on the shelves.

Paracetamol is one of the medicines used most often in Ireland and especially for the flu, aches and pain.

But Mr Donnelly pointed out that there are multiple forms of the drug with different strengths and brands available from various sources.

He said: "In the event that there are some supply issues for individual medicines, alternative options such as alternative strengths and brands, generic medicines will usually be available to ensure continuity of treatment.

"In some cases where the medicine initially prescribed for the patient is unavailable, patients may be switched to a suitable therapeutic alternative following appropriate consultation with a healthcare professional."

The Health Minister said medicine shortages have been increasingly prevalent worldwide over the past decade. The causes of such shortages are multifactorial including shortage of raw materials, manufacturing difficulties and industry consolidations.

He stated: "Medicine shortages can originate at any point in the supply chain. They can involve and impact many stakeholders in different ways as the supply models and clinical use of therapies can vary across national health systems.

"Management of medicines shortages necessitates a multi-faceted, multi stakeholder response to ensure patient safety , continuity of care and protection of public health.

"Patients or their carers who have any concerns in relation to temporary alternative products provided because of medical shortages are advised to speak with their pharmacist or other healthcare [professionals] involved in their care."

Mr Donnelly was responding to a number of written Dail questions on the shortage of medicines.

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Healthcare workers expressed disbelief at facing such shortages in 2023, highlighting how quickly drug availability issues can reach patients.

Title:

Content: How the Chemotherapy Shortage Is Affecting Frontline Clinicians

— "How are we here in 2023 having some of these discussions?" bemoans gynecologic cancer expert

MedpageToday
  • Emily Hutto is an Associate Video Producer & Editor for MedPage Today. She is based in Manhattan.

In this exclusive Instagram Live clip, Jeremy Faust, MD, editor-in-chief of MedPage Today, and Eleonora Teplinsky, MD, head of Breast and Gynecologic Medical Oncology for Valley-Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center in Paramus, New Jersey, discuss how the recent shortage of the chemotherapy mainstays cisplatin and carboplatin have impacted cancer patients and frontline clinicians.

The following is a transcript of their remarks:

Faust: Dr. Teplinsky, let me ask you about your side as a frontline clinician in this area. As an ER doctor, I don't type in, "Let's give a patient cisplatin." That's not an order that I put in. So, how long have you been seeing shortages like this that affect your patients?

Teplinsky: I would say around April -- again, talking about this particular shortage with carboplatin and cisplatin -- I think around April we started hearing about it. But it was one of those things, I'll be honest, where you're like, "Oh, this can't possibly happen. This is happening somewhere else. This isn't affecting us."

Then I think NBC ran an article on it. Then for a month nothing happened, and then all of a sudden, I would say in May, it really kind of exploded in the sense that many, [the] majority of cancer centers were either experiencing complete absence of drugs or shortage of drugs. They weren't able to procure it from their suppliers.

That quickly made its way to the patients not being able to get the drug, or having to sit in front of a patient and say, "I have a treatment for you. I don't know if you'll get it. I don't know when you'll get it. I don't know what dose I can give you."

And imagine, you're already facing this life-changing diagnosis, but there are drugs -- you just don't know when you'll get them. I think that we don't talk enough about that emotional toll that takes on patients, because the uncertainty that everyone was facing was really quite tragic.

Faust: When you had that conversation with a patient -- I guess it depends on the kind of cancer, doesn't it? Because there are certain oncologic conditions where we're so fortunate that we have many, many regimens. Maybe this one is a tiny bit better than that one and you're sort of scraping out on your Kaplan-Meier curves, your survival curves, a couple of months here. Are you able to reassure your patients, or does it really depend on the kind of cancer that we're talking about?

Teplinsky: It really depends on the kind of cancer.

I will say that the Society of Gynecologic Oncology really led the way with this because, unlike in other cancers where you can substitute, in gynecologic cancers it's really hard -- you need the platinum drugs. So they led the way. And then ASCO, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, followed and came up with guidelines for clinicians about when you can substitute, what you could substitute. Can we spread out the dosing, so instead of every 3 weeks, can we give it every 4 weeks to make the drug last longer? Can you reduce the dose?

Conversations that, again -- how are we here in 2023 and having some of these discussions? But that's kind of what happened.

The challenge really was: do we have data to substitute? Will you sacrifice the efficacy if you switch from one drug to another? Then as a result, if now everyone is shifting to this drug, do we have supply for the other drugs? So I think [they really were] very difficult discussions. And again, for some disease types we were able to make that switch, but not for all.

Faust: OK. I want to jump over in just a second to some of the policy side, but let me stick with you for one moment just to pursue that point a little further.

I study outcomes, mostly with COVID, but lots of other things too. But when you're making these switches, I know that in pediatric oncology, for example, they're always tweaking and testing and saying, "Let's compare A to B and see how they do." As this is happening, is this just too chaotic for anyone to stop and say, "Well, actually this is a little bit of an unfortunate opportunity to see well, are these biosimilars actually behaving decently comparably?" Or is it just too random for anything to be learned from this?

Teplinsky: Yeah, I think that it would've been great to be able to study, but it was too erratic because everyone was at different points in their treatment cycles. Some people had gotten five cycles and they had one more left. Other people were just starting out. Some of those patients we had to pivot and not do chemotherapy first, for example, and do surgery first where we normally wouldn't. So the circumstances and the situations were each too different to actually look at this in a cohesive way.

I do think that, fortunately, people moved fairly quickly to try to get drugs and try to increase supply. So we were in this bad point for a couple weeks, but it started to recover, but now we're seeing a different shortage of 5-fluorouracil.

I am curious about this from the policy side, but unless we really come up with long-term solutions, the short-term solutions are going to just lead us to another drug shortage in 3 more months for something else.

Faust: You mentioned the word "allocation" and that set off a thought that I wanted to talk about on the clinical side. So Dr. Teplinsky, we know that drugs don't reach every community equally, right? There are certainly "haves" and "have-nots" and the in-between. From the standpoint of oncology, do we sense that when shortages happen, there's a disparity in terms of who's affected?

Teplinsky: Absolutely. I mean, I think we have to keep in mind that the majority of patients are still treated in the community setting.

For this particular shortage, NCCN, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, did a study of multiple NCCN sites and they found that about 93% were affected by the shortage in some way. What we don't have information on, again, is in terms of exactly which settings were more affected than others.

Understandably, patients, if they are treated in a community site that maybe is not a big center -- that's a small site that purchases a very small amount and didn't stockpile -- those people are going to be predominantly affected. And very often they cannot travel to a bigger site that has more resources if they're in a setting where this is the only site or they are limited by socioeconomic disparities.

Absolutely, this heightens the already ongoing disparities that we see in cancer treatment. Absolutely.

Faust: In terms of how that plays out for your patient population or your colleagues, does this lead to your job being a lot of case management, in a sense? You know the medicine, you know the drugs, but what you need to figure out is who has what and who can go where. Is that really where a lot of resources and your time get spent in your office?

Teplinsky: I mean, that's part of it.

I think the challenge too is that, a couple months ago, no one knew when more drugs would arrive. So a lot of places were also sharing with each other, but they were also hesitant about taking on new patients, right? Because if we can't even provide for our existing patients, what's that going to look like?

But I think the other piece that really is challenging is, if you do have a limited supply, who do you prioritize it to? This was something we saw in COVID also in terms of access to care when the pandemic was at its height. The same thing now: do you give [the drugs] to the person that is going to be cured, hopefully, with this, or someone who needs it for a palliative reason? But how do you make that distinction?

I think those are really challenging questions and really hard decisions for physicians to have to make.

Faust: What do you tell a friend -- not a patient, because a patient's coming to you and you're going to treat them -- if someone says, "Look, I got a biopsy and they're sending me to this oncology center or that one," would you tell them to look into this? You don't want to go down a pathway with a wonderful practice who actually can't treat you, when across the street for reasons that we just discussed a minute ago -- some negotiation or someone got it ahead of a stampede in a panic -- they have the drug.

Would you advise patients who are looking at this landscape to behave any differently than they would've in another environment?

Teplinsky: Absolutely. I mean, I'm a firm believer that patients have to be their best advocate and you have to be your own advocate. I think it's a very appropriate question to say when you're meeting a practice, "I know that my regimen is recommended to have carboplatin," for example, "Can you talk about where your institution or cancer center or hospital is with regards to these shortages?" I think that those are very valid questions.

Part of the things that we say: what should you ask your oncologist? I think in this space and time that we're in, that should be part of the list. Because again, like you said, you don't want to all be set up for treatment to find out that they don't actually have the drug.

I think the challenge is in patients who are not able to do that, who are not able to go somewhere else, and that's really hard.

Faust: Yeah. It's interesting to me, again, I'm an ER doctor, but I work in a pretty fancy magnet hospital. People always come to us for second opinions or for the magic stuff that Dana-Farber [Cancer Institute] might have, as if it's any different.

In some cases, look, we have wonderful experts and we have some experimental treatments that are unavailable everywhere else. But a lot of times when it's straightforward, I kind of feel like we've got a nation of really, really qualified oncologists. You don't need to fly halfway across the country to get first-line treatment. And yet, some people actually would do that. They want that name brand.

But now you could argue that the big-name brands are probably the ones that have the most purchasing power and bargaining power, so all of a sudden it might matter, right?

Teplinsky: Yeah, I think we don't know. And it varies. I mean, some of the biggest cancer centers were actually the ones experiencing some of the bigger shortages.

Faust: Oh, really?

Teplinsky: It was very variable throughout the country, but you could see on Twitter, people were sharing, "Who's got the drug? Who doesn't have the drug?" So it really was very surprising, actually, that this hospital had it, this cancer center didn't, and vice versa.

It's also such a fluctuating state, right? You might have it tomorrow, you might not have it the next week, which is why I think this was so hard for patients because there was no guarantee of when it would come back. I think that really exacerbated all of it as well.

Physicians sometimes found themselves unable to provide treatments due to lack of access to necessary medications, leaving patients uncertain about when they might receive vital drugs.

Specific impacts varied depending on the type of condition, especially in oncology, and clinicians had to strategize about dose reductions or alternative therapies when shortages arose.

Widespread shifts to substitute drugs led to concerns about whether supplies for alternative treatments would be adequate, compounding the unpredictability.

The challenges of shortages generated significant additional case management tasks for healthcare staff.

It became crucial for providers to consider drug availability when planning patient treatments, as starting a regimen only to find a drug out of stock can derail care.

Access difficulties were especially hard for patients unable to travel elsewhere for medications.

Shortages extended to over-the-counter pediatric medicines such as children’s Tylenol and ibuprofen, leading to empty pharmacy shelves.

Title:

Content: Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
19° Partly Cloudy
News >  Nation/World

Parents looking for children’s Tylenol, ibuprofen find empty shelves

Dec. 1, 2022 Updated Thu., Dec. 1, 2022 at 9:17 p.m.

By Jenna Portnoy, Daniel Gilbert, Ellie Silverman and Katie Shepherd Washington Post

People seeking over-the-counter medication for their sick children are often finding sparse or empty shelves, as a spike in respiratory illnesses pushes pediatricians and emergency rooms to the limit.

Usual supplies of fever- and pain-reducing medicines, such as liquid acetaminophen and ibuprofen recommended for children with RSV, flu or the coronavirus, have not kept up with demand in recent weeks in pockets of the country hit hardest by surging illnesses.

Unlike in Canada where the government has issued emergency orders to address a shortage of acetaminophen and ibuprofen, commonly known by the name brands Tylenol and Advil, and similar products, U.S. manufacturers and retailers emphasized that supplies should rebound within weeks. On the prescription side, increased demand for the antibiotic amoxicillin has caused shortages in the United States, Canada and parts of Europe.

In the meantime, pediatricians say they worry limited access to medicines could result in more urgent-care and emergency visits as parents struggle to keep sick children comfortable.

“It’s a huge problem,” said Kristina Powell, a pediatrician in Williamsburg, Virgina, and president of the Virginia chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. “This is a result of the ‘triple-demic.’ Parents run to Walmart or Target, the shelves are empty. … This is going to be a long fall and winter of viral infections.”

A crop of influenza-like illnesses, which includes RSV, hit the South and Southeast hard a month ago, federal data show, and those illnesses have slowly progressed westward. By mid-November, Texas, New Mexico and Tennessee reported the highest incidence of illness, while levels remained very high in Virginia and D.C., followed closely by Maryland, according to data tracked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Kylie Moriarty, 30, of Buffalo, Misssouri, searched her local Walmart for Tylenol or ibuprofen to treat her sick 9-year-old daughter and found nothing but empty shelves. That seemed odd, she said, because just last week she had no trouble buying the same products for her 2-year-old son in a merry-go-round of illnesses affecting families with young children.

“I was very frustrated that it’s 2022 and we can’t keep something in stock for parents to help their children get better,” she said in a phone interview. “It makes me want to cry, almost, because these are my kids.”

She and her husband called other pharmacies looking for medicines to soothe the girl and couldn’t find any guaranteed availability.

“When they’re sick, there’s only so much that loving on them and cuddling with them you can do. So when there’s no medicine or something that you can give them … it’s hard,” Moriarty said.

Feeling powerless, the couple gave up and cautiously shared their younger child’s more concentrated medicine with the older one, which seemed to help. Just as they began to relax, their little boy came home from day care with a fever. Moriarty plans to schedule an appointment with his pediatrician for treatment – and samples to take home.

The ordeal reminded her of the height of the pandemic when supply chain problems left consumers scrambling for toilet paper and other basics.

Generic varieties play a large role in the market for over-the-counter comfort drugs, and that industry runs on profit margins so lean that companies typically lack capacity to boost production on short notice, according to supply chain experts. That left shelves bare during the early days of the pandemic.

The same dynamic is playing out now as RSV, flu and the coronavirus hit simultaneously, prompting sporadic shortages of commonly used ibuprofen and Tylenol at some hospitals and retail stores.

The extent of those shortages isn’t clear. The Food and Drug Administration hasn’t reported any shortages of fever or pain medications. Drugmakers, pharmacists and industry organizations say there aren’t any constraints to manufacturing and expect supplies to rebound within weeks.

The University of Utah’s Drug Information Service, which tracks drug shortages, received its first report of a shortage of liquid ibuprofen – generally for children – on Monday, and quickly confirmed it with several manufacturers. Most of the drugs tracked by the service are purchased in large quantities by hospitals, but some formulations had over-the-counter labels. Erin Fox, the service’s director, said it was impossible to know how widespread retail shortages were given the variety of store-branded versions.

“There are definitely distribution and supply chain problems that still exist,” she said, such as a company not being able to hire enough drivers. “These shortages seem to be mostly a demand spike and should resolve relatively quickly,” she added.

Until then, both chain stores and independent pharmacies are dealing with the unpredictability of high demand and uncertain supplies.

Martin McCarthy struck out at 5 p.m. Wednesday when he stopped by Brookville Pharmacy in Chevy Chase, Maryland, looking for liquid Motrin for his 10-year-old son, who probably picked up a bug at school.

The pharmacy’s stock of children’s fever reducers was depleted after two busy weeks of parents and grandparents stopping in to buy Tylenol or Motrin for little ones suffering from colds, RSV, flu and other viruses.

By Wednesday evening, only three boxes of generic ibuprofen chewables, two boxes of generic acetaminophen chewables and six boxes of suppository acetaminophen remained. Other parents peeked down the aisle looking for liquid fever reducer and fever reducer for children younger than 3, only to leave empty-handed.

McCarthy scanned the cold-medicine aisle for a few minutes and called home to confirm that his son would tolerate grape-flavored chewable tablets instead of the liquid Motrin he was used to.

“It is surprising because it’s basically completely out,” he said. “And it’s just generic.”

A spokeswoman for Walgreens said McCarthy’s experience is typical. Even if their usual choice of medication is unavailable because of high demand, parents can usually find an alternative.

“Although demand for pediatric OTC medications have increased, Walgreens is prepared and able to continue meeting the needs of our customers and patients. We are working with our diverse set of suppliers and distributors to ensure our patients have the products they need most,” Walgreen spokeswoman Zoe Krey said in a statement.

Martha Welman, a pediatrician and medical director at Neighborhood Health, a primary care provider serving low-income and underinsured patients in Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax, said staff will sometimes call pharmacies to find medicines for patients – a time-consuming process at a busy time.

“If it’s between helping someone find a medicine or seeing a sick child, we have to make that choice. We’re all kind of compromising right now,” she said.

Perrigo, an Ireland-based manufacturer of over-the-counter products, said “shortages are occurring in a number of markets we supply” because of high demand. The company has increased production of medications for fever and pain by 46% through October compared with a year ago, and increased shipments by a similar rate.

The Consumer Healthcare Products Association, which represents companies making over-the-counter drugs, said parts of the country are seeing a rise in pediatric illnesses but that there aren’t “overall widespread shortages here in the United States” of children’s pain relievers.

“We understand it might be frustrating for some parents who are unable to quickly locate these products from their usual pharmacy or retailer due to limited out-of-stocks in some stores,” the association said in a statement, but it emphasized the importance of calling around for medications and not hoarding, which could lead to widespread shortages.

Elizabeth Murray, a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Golisano Children’s Hospital in Rochester, New York, said from the bed shortage to overflowing emergency rooms, the last thing parents need is another hurdle. But until the early and aggressive onset of respiratory illness abates, health care providers and parents have no choice but to ride it out together.

“Everyone would like to have one thing to blame and there isn’t one thing to blame,” she said. “This is happening for a variety of reasons and we’re going to move through it and we’re going to be OK.”

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These incidents coincided with a severe flu season and a lingering Covid-19 impact.

Title:

Content:
The Shortages Are Coming

by Tyler Durden
Tuesday, Nov 08, 2022 - 09:20 PM

Authored by Michael Snyder via The End of The American Dream blog,

Do you remember in early 2020 when they told us that the shortages that we were experiencing would just be temporary?  Of course some of them were, but then more shortages just kept on erupting.  That wasn’t supposed to happen, and now it appears that our supply chain problems could potentially get a whole lot worse.  In just a few short months, we will be three years away from the beginning of the pandemic in the United States.  But instead of a “return to normal”, more shortages are on the way.  And in some cases, they could even be life threatening.

Let me give you an example.  We need Amoxicillin to treat some of the most common infections that our children experience.  Unfortunately, the FDA is warning us that we are now facing a very serious shortage of Amoxicillin…

Ear infections and strep throat.

Both are common childhood illnesses, for which the go-to prescription is in short supply, according to a recent nationwide alert from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The warning specifically involves the powder, which pharmacists use to mix liquid Amoxicillin for childhood infections.

This is a really big deal.

According to one recent survey, close to two-thirds of all pharmacies in the nation are having difficulty getting Amoxicillin right now, and the national shortage of Adderall is even worse…

Nearly 66% of pharmacies are having challenges obtaining amoxicillin, according to a new National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) survey of 8000 pharmacy owners and managers, whereas 89% are realizing a shortage of Adderall.

Of course we are dealing with lots of other drug shortages at this moment as well.

In fact, according to the official FDA drug shortage list there are nationwide shortages of a whopping 183 different drugs in the United States right now.

We truly are in unprecedented territory.

Up in Canada, things are even worse.

If you can believe it, at this point the Canadians are facing “an acute shortage of basic painkillers”

The Canadian healthcare system is experiencing an acute shortage of basic painkillers, particularly acetaminophen and ibuprofen, which are commonly used to relieve pain and fever in children during flu season.

Canada’s Association of Medical Assistance in Dying Assessors and Providers (CAMAP) chose this perhaps awkward moment to roll out a webinar for healthcare professionals that advised them to offer assisted suicide to their suffering patients.

So why don’t the Canadians have enough Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen right now?

Well, we are being told that the primary reason is “a lack of raw ingredients to make the drugs”

CBC News quoted health officials who blamed “a lack of raw ingredients to make the drugs,” “an uptick in respiratory viruses fueled by the relaxed [Chinese coronavirus] measures,” and “panic buying” for the shortage of painkillers for children.

As I have covered in previous articles, most of the basic ingredients that go into our pharmaceutical drugs come from China.

So if you think that things are bad now, just wait until war with China erupts.

Once that happens, our pharmacies will get really empty and our entire healthcare system will experience a historic meltdown.

Switching gears, with Thanksgiving coming up I wanted to talk about the fact that we are now facing a nationwide shortage of turkeys

As CNBC reports, the price of turkey is up 73% from last year, a pretty astonishing figure. Experts attribute it to the bird flu, which has devastated turkey stocks this year. Apparently, the disease normally doesn’t flourish during the summer as farmers get their holiday flocks together. But, you know, the 2020s haven’t been easy so naturally, the flu hit hard right in the middle of the year when it could do the most damage.

The good news, if you want to call it that, is that you will still probably be able to get a turkey if you are willing to pay enough.

The bad news is that supplies of turkey just keep getting tighter and tighter.

One business owner in San Francisco recently stated that it is “like pulling teeth trying to get turkeys from the companies” at this stage…

But it’s not just the Thanksgiving bird that’s at risk — it’s your lunchtime turkey sandwich, too. San Francisco delis and butchers are already feeling the effects of the shortage.

“It’s like pulling teeth trying to get turkeys from the companies,” said Sal Qaqundah, owner of Arguello Market, a San Francisco cult favorite for its “world famous” turkey sandwich.

Unfortunately, we are also facing a shortage of butter in the weeks ahead.

The USDA is urging consumers not to “panic buy” butter so that there will be enough to go around for everyone…

Butter is another area where the war and cost of dairy products has affected supply, as the price of the condiment and baking ingredient has gone up a dollar per pound since January of this year, per Eater. Fearing a full-blown butter shortage, the USDA has asked consumers not to rush or panic buy, but simply secure what they need at a given time, per Best Life.

Did you ever imagine that we would be talking about a butter shortage in late 2022?

Things just keep getting crazier and crazier.

And if the diesel fuel shortages eventually get as bad as some are projecting, we could soon be facing severe shortages of countless products.

Our ships, our trains and our trucks run on diesel fuel.

So if there is not enough diesel fuel, we are going to have a real problem trying to fill up our stores with enough stuff for everybody.

Even now, supplies of diesel fuel are so tight that one big player in the industry just issued a major alert

A major fuel supply and logistics company is raising a red flag on upcoming diesel fuel shortages.

Mansfield Energy issued the alert Friday stating there was a developing diesel fuel shortage in the southeastern region of the United States. The company speculated that the shortage could be generated from “poor pipeline shipping economies” and a historically low supply of diesel reserves.

“Poor pipeline shipping economics and historically low diesel inventories are combining to cause shortages in various markets throughout the Southeast,” the company said. “These have been occurring sporadically, with areas like Tennessee seeing particularly acute challenges.”

There are a number of reasons why supplies of diesel fuel have gotten so tight.

But the biggest is the fact that imports from Russia have been totally cut off

But the primary reason is the cutoff of Russian imports. Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. was importing nearly 700,000 barrels per day (BPD) of petroleum and petroleum products. Most of those imports were finished products and refinery inputs that boosted distillate supplies in the U.S.

The loss of those Russian imports have caused problems for refineries as they struggle to fill holes in their product slates. Refineries do have a small amount of flexibility in shifting gasoline production to diesel production. But it’s a relatively small amount (e.g., ~5% in a refinery I once worked in). That also means that if refiners do shift production, that also potentially creates shortages in the gasoline market.

So why don’t we just produce more ourselves?

Well, thanks to our politicians, the number of refineries in the United States has actually been declining in recent years even as our population has grown.

At this point we simply do not have enough refineries, and this is a problem that is not going away any time soon.

In the months ahead, we aren’t going to completely run out of diesel fuel as some people out there are suggesting.

But supplies may get so tight that it could potentially create widespread supply chain nightmares that are quite severe.

Let us hope that such a scenario does not materialize.

Because the American people are already angry enough about the economy.  In fact, a brand new survey has found that it is the number one issue for U.S. voters at this moment…

The Washington Post and ABC gave Americans eight top issues they will be considering when making their decision in a poll that showed likely voters split between the Democrats and Republicans.

The economy was cited by 26 percent of likely voters as one of the most important factors, followed by abortion with 22 percent and inflation and threats to democracy each by 21 percent.

For decades, we have been able to rely on our supply chains to continuously fill our stores with mountains of cheap goods.

But now our supply chains are breaking down.

In fact, our entire economic system is breaking down and most people are completely and utterly unprepared for the difficult times that are coming.

I know that many of you have been patiently waiting for a long time for life to “return to normal”.

Sadly, that isn’t going to happen.  The incredibly bad decisions that our leaders have been making are now catching up with us in a major way, and a great deal of pain is ahead.

*  *  *

It is finally here! Michael’s new book entitled “End Times” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.

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Reports indicated many other drug shortages of both over-the-counter and prescription medications during this period, some of which could endanger lives.

Canadian shortages of acetaminophen and ibuprofen were attributed to a lack of raw ingredients.

Broader concerns about global supply chain instability included warnings about the potential impact of geopolitical tensions, such as a future war with China, on medication supplies.

Medical product shortages co-occurred with crises in food items, fuel, and other critical goods due to disrupted supply chains and increased costs.

Survey data indicated that breakdowns in supply chains had become a top concern for the public.

Experts warned that persistent shortages without systemic improvements could compound health crises, particularly in cancer and chronic diseases, and disproportionately affect poorer countries.

Title:

Content: As drug shortage list grows, many hospitals face tough decisions on rationing care

More than half of hospital pharmacists are reporting a critical shortage of chemotherapy drugs and nearly all are reporting overall medicine supply gaps as prescription drug shortages near an all time high, according to a new survey.

Hospital pharmacists said drug shortages have forced 1 in 3 health systems to delay, cancel or ration care or switch to alternate drugs to continue to treat patients. And 99% are reporting some drug supply shortages, an American Society of Health-System Pharmacists survey of more than 1,000 pharmacists released Thursday found.

The organization reported shortages of 309 drugs, near the all-time high of 320 shortages in 2014. The scarcity of key drugs is prompting hospitals to find or substitute drugs and change treatment plans as needed.

“In some cases, there are no alternatives to the affected drugs, which puts patients at risk," ASHP Chief Executive Officer Paul W. Abramowitz said in a statement. "This issue requires quick action from Congress to address the underlying causes of shortages and ensure patients have the medications they need.”

Cancer drug shortages

In June, the Food and Drug Administration said it will temporarily allow overseas drug manufacturers to import some chemotherapy drugs.

The FDA allowed Qilu Pharmaceutical, a drug manufacturer in China, to import the injectable chemotherapy drug cisplatin in 50-milligram vials. Toronto pharmaceutical company Apotex Corp. will distribute the medication in the United States.

More than a dozen cancer drugs have been in shortage in recent months, including cisplatin and carboplatin, used to treat lung, breast, prostate and gynecologic cancers. The National Cancer Institute said cisplatin and similar drugs are prescribed for 10% to 20% of all cancer patients.

In June, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network released a survey of 27 academic cancer centers that found 93% reported shortages of carboplatin and 70% faced shortages of cisplatin.

When cancer hospitals face such shortages, they attempt to make sure there's enough medication for patients to finish the course of treatment, said Mike Ganio, ASHP's senior director of pharmacy practice and quality.

Cancer hospitals facing such shortages might change medications for new patients starting on chemotherapy, said Ganio, a former pharmacy manager at an academic cancer center.

"You try to keep that patient on the same regimen as much as you can, unless they're failing it for some reason, and then you would switch," Ganio said.

Steroids, hormonal drugs also in short supply

More than 1 in 5 hospital pharmacists also reported shortages for steroids, hormonal drugs and oral liquids such as lidocaine, ibuprofen and amoxicillin.

A smaller number of pharmacists said heart medications, emergency prefilled syringes and drugs used for intensive care unit patients were in short supply. Others reported shortages of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medicines, antimicrobial drugs and injectable opioids.

In all, about two-thirds of pharmacists said the shortages were "moderately impactful," which means they are managing shortages but patients are affected.

Pharmacists are managing the shortages by offering therapeutic alternatives, buying different vial sizes or concentrations and rationing medicines.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Survey: Drug shortages are widespread, hospitals ration care

Hospitals resorted to care rationing and tried to keep patients on usual therapies unless absolutely necessary to switch, as a means of minimizing disruption.

Efforts in value-based care and digital health innovations aimed to streamline management amid the shortages, but clinicians noted ongoing difficulties knowing which medications would be available at any given moment.

India’s pharmaceutical industry saw increased exports to meet surges in demand from developed countries, reflecting global dependency on certain manufacturing hubs.

Title:

Content: Begin typing your search above and press return to search.

India's pharma exports clock double-digit growth amid surging demand in US, UK

By IANS

New Delhi, June 18: India’s pharmaceutical exports continue to register double-digit growth, reflecting the strong demand for the country’s affordable generic medicines in global markets led by the USA and UK.

India’s pharma exports grew by 10.45 per cent in May this year to touch the $2.3 billion mark compared with the $2.08 billion in the same month of the previous financial year. “It is moving in a positive way and we are optimistic of sustaining growth of not less than 10 per cent,” Director General, Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India, Ravi Uday Bhaskar said on the quick estimate numbers released last week by the Centre.

India is now the world's third-largest drugmaker by volume amid the growing demand for the country’s pharmaceutical products in export markets. The US is a key market, which accounts for about 30 per cent of India's annual pharma exports after a nearly 16 per cent increase in fiscal 2024, according to Pharmexcil.

The country's drug shortages as well as the increased use of drugs for lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and depression is expected to fuel the demand for India's affordably priced drugs, according to Bhaskar.

According to a report by India Ratings and Research, Indian drugmakers will sustain their revenue improvement in 2024-2025 due to drug shortages in the United States. India is a hub of bulk generic drug manufacturing and drugmakers including Dr Reddy's, Cipla, Sun Pharma derive a significant share of revenue from both the US and Europe.

The world's largest drug market is facing decade-high drug shortages, India Ratings said in a note citing data from with Utah Drug Information Service. There is an active shortage of 233 drugs across 22 therapeutic categories as of April, led mainly by discontinuing production of some drugs, rising demand and delays in shipments, it said, also citing data from the US Food and Drug Administration.

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Drug shortages affected critical medicines such as those for epilepsy and chronic pain, and even experienced clinicians struggled to learn about which medicines were in stock.

Title:

Content: Is a prostate issue to blame for my sexual problems after I started online dating aged 76 following divorce? Ask DR ELLIE CANNON

Q: I’m a healthy 76-year-old and I just started online dating after my divorce. However, during sex I struggle to maintain an erection. Also when I climax, I experience a pleasurable feeling but produce nothing. Should I be worried about my prostate?

Dr Ellie replies: Men often experience sexual problems later in life because of an enlarged prostate or its treatment. The prostate is a small gland at the base of the bladder around the tube that carries the urine out. It is often described as being the size of a walnut, but as men age, it can become much larger than this.

Regular exercise, quitting smoking and cutting down on alcohol have all been shown to help combat erectile dysfunction

Of course, men can also get prostate cancer. An enlarged prostate will make it more difficult to urinate, due to the proximity of the prostate to the bladder, and trigger sexual problems.

These issues are typically erectile dysfunction and difficulty ejaculating. There are treatments which can combat an enlarged prostate, but it’s important to know that these too can lead to sexual problems.

READ MORE: DR ELLIE CANNON: Are the drugs I'm taking to blame for my hip pain?

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One commonly used medication for prostate problems is called finasteride, a daily tablet which can make it easier to pee.

However, more than one in 100 men who take it will have problems getting an erection and or problems ejaculating.

Men who don’t respond to medication are often offered a transurethral resection of the prostate – known as a TURP – which involves cutting away sections of the prostate.

It is thought that as many as three-quarters of men who receive a TURP will have difficulty ejaculating due to damage to the nerves and muscles in the prostate region.

Likewise, surgery to remove the prostate often leads to dry orgasms – where nothing comes out – as the gland is involved in the production of semen.

There are things you can do yourself to reduce the severity of your symptoms.

Regular exercise, quitting smoking and cutting down on alcohol have all been shown to help combat erectile dysfunction.

If the problem continues – or gets worse – then you should talk to your GP about treatment.

Q: I’m a woman in my late 70s. In 2018 I was prescribed alendronic acid after I had a fall and fractured my wrist. I have heard that you should take a break from this medication after five years but my GP says I should stay on it. I also requested another bone density scan but she said I didn’t need one. Is this correct?

Dr Ellie replies: Alendronic acid is the medication we most commonly use for the bone-thinning condition osteoporosis, and it is usually safe to take long-term.

It is taken as a weekly tablet or drink and reduces the risk of further breaks. Our bones are constantly being broken down and rebuilt by specially adapted cells within them. Osteoporosis occurs when there is too much bone breakdown happening which causes them to weaken. Alendronic acid slows down this process. Usually after five years on the treatment you would have a review of your medication to decide if you still require it. This would often involve a bone density scan, also known as a Dexa scan. A patient may stay on the medication for another five years or take a ‘treatment holiday’ and come off it for a few years.

Alendronic acid does have some common side-effects including constipation, dizziness and headaches

Alendronic acid does have some common side-effects including constipation, dizziness and headaches.

If the treatment is causing too many problems, or is failing to keep the osteoporosis under control, patients might be offered a new drug. However, it is hard to make this decision without a further Dexa scan.

The Royal Osteoporosis Society offers excellent support – you can speak with one of their specialist nurses on 0808 800 0035. After this, it would be worth requesting a conversation with the GP to establish why your medication is being continued.

Q: My GP advised I take statins, but ten days after I began the pills I developed serious pins and needles in my feet and hands. I immediately stopped taking the drug, but two months later, the pins and needles have turned into a painful stabbing sensation all over my body. My feet feel like they are burning.

Despite this, my GP refuses to see me for an appointment because he says it is a matter for a pharmacist. What should I do?

Dr Ellie replies: This is not the standard of care someone should be receiving from an NHS GP. Anyone with new symptoms or potential medication side-effects should be offered an appointment.

It might be worth looking into registering at a new practice, so you can get easier access to a doctor. Pins and needles are an uncommon side-effect of statins. The fact the sensation has continued after you stopped taking the pills could suggest it is unrelated. A feeling of electric shocks or burning, particularly in the feet, can be a condition called peripheral neuropathy where the nerves are not working properly. Peripheral neuropathy is often triggered by a vitamin B12 deficiency, and can be reversed. This is why it is crucial that you see a doctor.

If it is the statins, a GP can recommend other ways of treating cholesterol such as diet and lifestyle changes, or other medicines.

DRUG SHORTAGES PUT PATIENTS AT RISK

Medicine shortages are worse than ever, and are now affecting people’s health, according to a new report.

Supply problems have doubled since 2020, the Nuffield Trust think-tank found. GPs and pharmacists deal with this daily.

I do not recall shortages like this even being an issue

ten years ago.

Medicines for epilepsy are often in short supply. Without these, seizures are more likely and can be catastrophic. And I know parents who drive to many pharmacies to find ADHD drugs for their children.

If you have a practice pharmacist at your GP surgery, try to ask them if there are shortages of your prescription drugs, and whether alternatives can be had.

Doctors tend not to know what is and isn’t available.

Are you struggling to get hold of vital medication? Write and let me know.

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Back pain sufferers are being fobbed off

Latest figures suggest a staggering 2.8 million Britons are ‘economically inactive’ due to ill health.

That’s double the number of ten years ago — and includes a rise of almost three-quarters of a million since the pandemic. This is probably because getting treatment for even serious problems is so difficult now.

Mental illness and respiratory diseases top the list of reasons for going long-term sick. The other most common is ‘musculoskeletal problems’, often back trouble. But back pain can be resolved quickly with advice, exercise and a physiotherapy assessment.

It frustrates me that, even if I refer my patients for the latter, it’s just not available — they’re fobbed off with phone appointments and leaflets. Have you struggled to get help with your back pain? Write and let me know.

Do you have a question for Dr Ellie Cannon? Email DrEllie@mailonsunday.co.uk

Dr Cannon cannot enter into personal correspondence and her replies should be taken in a general context.

Experts have documented a global shortage of antibiotics due to increasing infectious diseases.

Title:

Content: Experts have recorded a shortage of antibiotics in the world due to the increase in the number of infectious diseases.
On December 21, writes the Financial Times with reference to the head of the group of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the supply of medicines and ensuring access to them Lisa Hedman, reports Day.Az.
Twenty-eight of the 35 countries for which WHO collects data are deficient in penicillin-type drugs.
In the United States and Canada complained about the lack of amoxicillin.
Less is known about the situation in poor or small countries, according to Hedman.
It is noted that in addition to the difficulties experienced by pharmaceutical manufacturers in the pandemic, the current situation is complicated by high energy prices, and this leads to a decrease in profits of companies.
In addition, countries, according to Hedman, did not expect that in the first year without masks, respiratory infections would hit the population so hard.
In addition to antibiotics, pharmacists also complain about the lack of painkillers, drugs for tuberculosis and drugs for skin infections.

According to Hedman, the situation in poorer or smaller countries is less well understood.

Title:

Content: Experts have recorded a shortage of antibiotics in the world due to the increase in the number of infectious diseases.
On December 21, writes the Financial Times with reference to the head of the group of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the supply of medicines and ensuring access to them Lisa Hedman, reports Day.Az.
Twenty-eight of the 35 countries for which WHO collects data are deficient in penicillin-type drugs.
In the United States and Canada complained about the lack of amoxicillin.
Less is known about the situation in poor or small countries, according to Hedman.
It is noted that in addition to the difficulties experienced by pharmaceutical manufacturers in the pandemic, the current situation is complicated by high energy prices, and this leads to a decrease in profits of companies.
In addition, countries, according to Hedman, did not expect that in the first year without masks, respiratory infections would hit the population so hard.
In addition to antibiotics, pharmacists also complain about the lack of painkillers, drugs for tuberculosis and drugs for skin infections.

The New York Times reported that the growing shortage of cheap but vital drugs threatens U.S. national security and forces hospitals to make difficult choices, as highlighted in a U.S. Senate report.

Title:

Content: The New York Times Original
Continue reading Growing drug shortage in the United States has become a threat to national security
The shortage of medicines in the United States last year increased compared to 2021 by 30%, according to The New York Times.
However, the article notes that the growing shortage of inexpensive but critical drugs poses a national security threat to the United States.
The growing shortage of inexpensive but critical drugs poses a threat to U.S. national security and forces hospitals to make “terrible ” choices, writes The New York Times, citing a report prepared for hearings in the U.S. Senate.
According to this report, the shortage of medicines last year increased by almost 30% compared to 2021, with an average shortage of medicines observed for 18 months, and for some drugs – 15 years.
Among the drugs in short supply are conventional antibiotics and anesthetics, the article said.
Senator Gary Peters, a Democrat from Michigan and chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, said that these problems are related to economic factors, an opaque supply chain and the fact that 80% to 90% of some products are made abroad.
“Taken together, these underlying causes not only raise serious concerns about ensuring proper patient care, but also pose a serious threat to national security, ” Peters said.
Dr. Andrew Schumann, an oncology surgeon from Michigan, told senators at the hearing that the shortage of drugs in his field is "a tragedy occurring in slow motion."
As Schumann noted, recently due to the shortage of one cheap, but well-proven cancer drug, he had to choose which patients will receive this drug.
The article notes that many of the cheapest drugs tend to be made in countries such as India and China, where they are inexpensive to manufacture.
However, this concentration of production capacity creates an additional level of vulnerability to problems such as natural disasters and political unrest, emphasizes The New York Times.
The materials of InoTV contain estimates of exclusively foreign media and do not reflect the position of RT
We publish on Twitter relevant foreign articles selected by the editorial office of InoTV
source
New York Times United States of America
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Many of the most affordable drugs are manufactured in countries like India and China, where production costs are lower.

Title:

Content: The New York Times Original
Continue reading Growing drug shortage in the United States has become a threat to national security
The shortage of medicines in the United States last year increased compared to 2021 by 30%, according to The New York Times.
However, the article notes that the growing shortage of inexpensive but critical drugs poses a national security threat to the United States.
The growing shortage of inexpensive but critical drugs poses a threat to U.S. national security and forces hospitals to make “terrible ” choices, writes The New York Times, citing a report prepared for hearings in the U.S. Senate.
According to this report, the shortage of medicines last year increased by almost 30% compared to 2021, with an average shortage of medicines observed for 18 months, and for some drugs – 15 years.
Among the drugs in short supply are conventional antibiotics and anesthetics, the article said.
Senator Gary Peters, a Democrat from Michigan and chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, said that these problems are related to economic factors, an opaque supply chain and the fact that 80% to 90% of some products are made abroad.
“Taken together, these underlying causes not only raise serious concerns about ensuring proper patient care, but also pose a serious threat to national security, ” Peters said.
Dr. Andrew Schumann, an oncology surgeon from Michigan, told senators at the hearing that the shortage of drugs in his field is "a tragedy occurring in slow motion."
As Schumann noted, recently due to the shortage of one cheap, but well-proven cancer drug, he had to choose which patients will receive this drug.
The article notes that many of the cheapest drugs tend to be made in countries such as India and China, where they are inexpensive to manufacture.
However, this concentration of production capacity creates an additional level of vulnerability to problems such as natural disasters and political unrest, emphasizes The New York Times.
The materials of InoTV contain estimates of exclusively foreign media and do not reflect the position of RT
We publish on Twitter relevant foreign articles selected by the editorial office of InoTV
source
New York Times United States of America
tags
disease india china medicine usa
Today in the media
Popular
INFOX.SG
RT News Feed
Partners news

In Azerbaijan, parents of children with growth deficiency have struggled to obtain the drug Norditrofin (Nordiflex) free of charge from the state.

Title:

Content: 14 October 2023, 14: 12
Parents of sick children complain about problems with help from the authorities of Azerbaijan
THIS MATERIAL (INFORMATION) IS MANUFACTURED AND DISTRIBUTED BY A FOREIGN AGENT OF "MEMO" LLC, OR RELATED TO THE ACTIVITIES OF A FOREIGN AGENT OF "MEMO" LLC.
The authorities of Azerbaijan have suspended the free distribution of medicines for children with developmental disabilities, and people are forced to look for money to buy an expensive drug, the parents of patients complained.
Representatives of the authorities wrote off the manufacturer of interruptions in the supply of medicines.
Azerbaijani families, in which children suffer from the disease of lack of development of growth, faced the problem of receiving free of charge from the state of the drug Norditrofin (Nordiflex).
This drug compensates for the lack of synthesis of growth hormone in the body, with a deficiency of which dwarfism develops, chairman of the Association of Doctors of Azerbaijan Aydin Aliyev told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
According to Aliyev, for two months now, the state Association for the Management of Medical Territorial Units (TƏBİB, Azerbaijani abbreviation) has not given this medicine to parents.
“One bottle of medicine should be given as an injection to a child once a week.
This means that parents should buy these medicines monthly for 800-1000 manats (about 470-588 dollars).
"Caucasian Knot").
The drug must necessarily be administered to children suffering from the disease up to 15-16 years of age, "he said.
In Azerbaijan, about 1200-1500 families need this drug, he said.
In pharmacies, the drug is available and sold at a price of 200-230 manats (about $117-135).
"Caucasian knot") for a bottle.
“It is necessary to buy 800-1000 manats per month.
Many parents do not have such money, families are forced to take debt, sell property to save the health of children, ” said Aydin Aliyev.
Information about the shortage of the drug was confirmed by the parent of a sick child Anar Melikov.
According to him, in search of a cure, he called the hotline of compulsory insurance, and there confirmed the data on the shortage of medicine, promising to soon solve the problem of shortage.
“I haven ’ t received this hormone for two months.
Employees of the company supplying this medicine said that they will cooperate with another supplier, so there is a shortage of medicine, "a resident of Azerbaijan told the" Caucasian Knot "correspondent.
The sister of a local resident, Shahla Aliyeva, faced the same difficulty.
There is no medicine for two months.
The sister ’ s son is far behind in growth, a break in treatment is unacceptable.
But she cannot buy this drug in a pharmacy for a full course of treatment due to lack of material resources, "Shakhla Aliyeva told the" Caucasian Knot "correspondent.
Afgan Asadov, a relative of the sick child, said his nephew was buying the drug in Iran.
“There were no instances where he would not complain and demand, but there was no help.
He had to go to Iran, "he told the" Caucasian Knot "correspondent.
The father of the sick child Fuad Aliyev complained to the correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot" that the price of this drug in pharmacies reached 578 manats (about $340).
The lack of medicines for free supply of patients was explained by the fact that the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk significantly reduced production due to a shortage of special raw materials.
OUMTP promised to solve the problem by switching to supplies from another manufacturer.
“In 2020-2023, 1,500 children were provided with this drug.
Due to the shortage of raw materials in the world market for the production of such drugs, the company stopped supplying them two months ago.
Measures are being taken to solve the problem, and from next month the Republican Endocrinology Center will ensure the supply of the medicine from another company, "the official statement of the Association, which was translated into Russian by the correspondent of the" Caucasian Knot ", said.
Manufacturers warn in advance about the decrease in supplies, and the state department could not but know about the imminent shortage, Aydin Aliyev commented on the statement of the OUMPP.
“And could agree in advance with another supplier so that parents did not rush to pharmacies and did not increase the demand for this drug.
And after the growth of demand necessarily follows a journey.
Why did private companies quickly orient themselves and bring medicines from another manufacturer, and TƏBİB shifts its blame to others?
Why do some people get this medicine from TƏBİB, and others do not get it? ” said Aliyev.
The "Caucasian Knot" does not yet have any comments from the representatives of the OUICC regarding the claims of the doctor.
Read the "Caucasian Node" in Telegram without installing a VPN and use the CENO browser to bypass the locks.
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14 October 2023, 15: 03
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In the cassation appeal, the lawyer demanded to restore the missed period of appeal and return the case for review to the court of first instance.
14 October 2023, 10: 35
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Aydin Aliyev described families having to take on debt or sell property to afford medicine for their children.

Anar Melikov, parent of a sick child, confirmed the shortage, stating there had been no medicine for two months and that he had to travel to Iran for treatment.

The OUMTP promised to address the issue by sourcing the drug from another manufacturer.

Concerns were raised about authorities not arranging alternative supplies earlier, which increased demand and caused panic among parents.

Questions were asked about the inconsistency in the distribution of the drug by TƏBİB.

The Azerbaijani Drug Department emphasized the need for timely communication to patients about shortages.

Title:

Content: Drug department: it is necessary to inform patients as quickly as possible about the occurrence of a deficiency
Drug department: it is necessary to inform patients as quickly as possible about the occurrence of a deficiency
The end of last year caused a real pharmacy fever: parents could not find children's antipyretic syrups and a number of antibiotics.
People with chronic diseases have lost their feet in search of life-saving drugs.
Public figure Lachin Aliyev asked why representatives of relevant institutions do not try to mitigate the emerging difficulties by informing the population about the probability of a particular deficit.
“Yes, I agree, people need to know in advance what difficulties are expected.
We can think of some alternative solutions, - said Deputy Director General of the Drug Department Ott Lius. - The Drug Department does not deal with the supply of medicines, but we can know in advance about possible supply disruptions. "
Who is responsible for the supply and distribution of medicines?
What to prepare for in the future?
These and other questions will be answered by the heroes and experts of the new issue of the program “Svoya pravda ”, which will air on Monday, February 20, at 20.30 on the channel ETV +.
Presenters: Olesya Lagashina and Elena Solomina.
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Frank Ulrich Montgomery, Chairman of the World Medical Association, called for a pan-European reserve of medicines to tackle shortages.

Title:

Content: The Chairman of the World Medical Association (WMA) Frank Ulrich Montgomery, against the background of a shortage of certain types of drugs, called for the creation of a pan-European reserve of medicines.
This opinion he expressed in an interview published on Monday to the media group Funke, reports Day.Az with reference to TASS.
Montgomery noted that the shortage of medicines has been increasing for more than 10 years.
“The reason is misplaced economic incentives for the pharmaceutical industry, ” he said.
“For consumer goods that are not subject to patent protection, margins are estimated to be low, ‘ big pharmaceuticals ’ are no longer interested in these drugs and are shifting production to low-wage countries such as China or India.
If there is a factory burned down, the main substance is lost or there are defects in quality - suddenly the medicine will disappear all over the world, "said the head of the WMA.
A reserve of drugs at EU level as a “commitment to the pharmaceutical industry controlled and managed by the state and the medical community, ” according to Montgomery, should be created immediately.
In addition, politicians should return production sites to Europe with appropriate economic conditions.
Supply chains must be legally secured by several drug manufacturers.
Last week, pediatricians from several European countries wrote a letter to their health ministers condemning the shortage of medicines.
The German Ministry of Health recently officially announced a shortage of juices with antibiotics for children - this means that import rules can be relaxed.
The World Medical Association is an international organization, which includes more than 100 national associations of doctors, including the Russian one.
It is engaged in the development of ethical standards in medical activities, mandatory for doctors of all countries.
The association was established in 1947.

In Estonia, the number of drug shortages in pharmacies rose from 183 in 2021 to 359 in 2022 and 450 by the end of the following year, with the causes of shortages for 130 drugs remaining unknown.

Title:

Content: Drug supply problems have worsened in Estonia
This year, pharmacies in Estonia faced a much larger shortage of drugs than a year earlier.
Problems with supplies are caused by both increased demand and shortage of raw materials, reports rus.err with reference to "Actual chamber".
This spring, parents faced a shortage of antibiotics and antipyretic drugs suitable for children, and in the fall, the Sorbister drug for renal patients had to be issued from the state reserve stock, since it was not enough due to supply problems in pharmacies.
Hospitals are also facing a severe shortage of medicines this year.
“For example, hospitals use very important drugs to treat the consequences of heart attacks and strokes, the supply problems of which have been observed for a year, but thanks to good cooperation, we were able to ensure that no one was left without treatment, ” said Marco Tiisler, head of the Import and Export Supervision Department of the Drug Department.
In 2021, there was a shortage of 183 drugs in pharmacies, last year - 359, as of the end of this year - 450 drugs, and in the case of 130 drugs, the cause of the deficiency is unknown.
The second significant reason was a sudden surge in demand, for example, for the drug Ozempic, which is popular among those who lose weight, but drugs can be in short supply due to problems with production.
- Producers lack the active ingredient.
The active substances come from third countries, they are not always available, this was stated by one of the largest European manufacturers of antibiotics, - said Tiisler.
Drug supply problems put not only patients in a difficult position, but also doctors who have to quickly find replacements, sometimes in conditions of scarce information about alternatives.
If earlier, in the case of a shortage of drugs, the patient had to pay the full cost of the drug prescribed as a substitute, recently the Health Insurance Fund, as an exception, decided to extend the discount to some alternatives.
According to Lee Rootslane, head of the Union of Pharmacies, problems with the supply of medicines are a growing problem throughout Europe.
- This year, in cooperation with the Drug Department and family doctors, we made recommendations so that if a problem arises, we do not solve it after the fact, but try to provide some solutions and avoid panic.
In the case of children ’ s syrups, people read about the shortage of syrup, went to the pharmacy and took two syrups instead of the usual one, ” Rootslane said.
The drug department recommends having a weekly supply of non-prescription drugs and a monthly supply of prescription drugs at home.
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Estonian authorities, pharmacists, and doctors aimed to recommend proactive rather than reactive solutions to avoid panic during shortages.

The World Health Organization warned that water shortages in Gaza hospitals threaten 3,500 patients and that shutting down generators could endanger thousands.

Title:

Content: WHO says shortage of water in Gaza hospitals threatens 3,500 patients
World Health Organization spokesman Tarik Jašarević said hospitals were overcrowded but continued to receive wounded people.
GENEVA, 20 October.
/ Corr.
TASS Konstantin Pribytkov /.
The shortage of water in health facilities in the Gaza Strip puts the lives of more than 3,500 patients at immediate risk.
Hospitals are overcrowded, but continue to receive the wounded, said TASS official representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tarik Jašarević.
“Hospitals are overcrowded and overcrowded.
Medical facilities continue to receive wounded patients and operate beyond their capacity, "he said, adding that" the lack of water in hospitals puts at immediate risk the lives of more than 3,500 inpatients in 35 hospitals across the Gaza Strip. "
"Water is necessary to ensure the proper sanitary condition of inpatient wards, operating rooms and emergency departments.
This is important for the prevention of nosocomial infections and the prevention of outbreaks in hospitals, ” the WHO official explained.
According to him, there is an acute shortage of sterilized physiological solutions necessary for the treatment of wounds and for maintaining the lives of patients during catheterization, during surgical operations and during treatment in intensive care units.
150,000 litres of fuel are needed to provide basic functions for Gaza ’ s five major hospitals, Jasharevich continued.
Hospitals "are forced to rationalize depleting fuel reserves."
Shutting down standby generators in hospitals would “put the lives of thousands of patients at risk. ”
“There are no supplies and equipment left in the WHO warehouse in Gaza, ” the official said.
As the number of wounded grows rapidly, the supply of medicines is rapidly depleted.
This applies both to the supplies needed for emergency care, trauma treatment and surgery, and to the medicines required for the treatment of 350,000 patients with non-communicable diseases, obstetric care, kidney dialysis, cardiovascular and infectious diseases.
Yasharevich also drew attention to "the huge need for local anesthetics (lidocaine, mepivacaine), drugs for general anesthesia during surgical operations (sedatives and hypnotics, gases), morphine.
There's only two weeks left in the blood banks.
Some of the medical equipment in the hospitals is not functioning, making it difficult to provide care for the sick and wounded.
Al-Shifa Hospital, for example, needs basic diagnostic digital X-ray and CT equipment.
More than two thirds of the primary health care facilities of the Ministry of Health are currently closed.

WHO noted the depletion of all supplies and equipment in its Gaza warehouse.

Title:

Content: WHO says shortage of water in Gaza hospitals threatens 3,500 patients
World Health Organization spokesman Tarik Jašarević said hospitals were overcrowded but continued to receive wounded people.
GENEVA, 20 October.
/ Corr.
TASS Konstantin Pribytkov /.
The shortage of water in health facilities in the Gaza Strip puts the lives of more than 3,500 patients at immediate risk.
Hospitals are overcrowded, but continue to receive the wounded, said TASS official representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tarik Jašarević.
“Hospitals are overcrowded and overcrowded.
Medical facilities continue to receive wounded patients and operate beyond their capacity, "he said, adding that" the lack of water in hospitals puts at immediate risk the lives of more than 3,500 inpatients in 35 hospitals across the Gaza Strip. "
"Water is necessary to ensure the proper sanitary condition of inpatient wards, operating rooms and emergency departments.
This is important for the prevention of nosocomial infections and the prevention of outbreaks in hospitals, ” the WHO official explained.
According to him, there is an acute shortage of sterilized physiological solutions necessary for the treatment of wounds and for maintaining the lives of patients during catheterization, during surgical operations and during treatment in intensive care units.
150,000 litres of fuel are needed to provide basic functions for Gaza ’ s five major hospitals, Jasharevich continued.
Hospitals "are forced to rationalize depleting fuel reserves."
Shutting down standby generators in hospitals would “put the lives of thousands of patients at risk. ”
“There are no supplies and equipment left in the WHO warehouse in Gaza, ” the official said.
As the number of wounded grows rapidly, the supply of medicines is rapidly depleted.
This applies both to the supplies needed for emergency care, trauma treatment and surgery, and to the medicines required for the treatment of 350,000 patients with non-communicable diseases, obstetric care, kidney dialysis, cardiovascular and infectious diseases.
Yasharevich also drew attention to "the huge need for local anesthetics (lidocaine, mepivacaine), drugs for general anesthesia during surgical operations (sedatives and hypnotics, gases), morphine.
There's only two weeks left in the blood banks.
Some of the medical equipment in the hospitals is not functioning, making it difficult to provide care for the sick and wounded.
Al-Shifa Hospital, for example, needs basic diagnostic digital X-ray and CT equipment.
More than two thirds of the primary health care facilities of the Ministry of Health are currently closed.

WHO predicts global cancer cases will rise to over 35 million by 2050, a 77% increase from 2022.

Title:

Content: The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts an increase in cancer cases to more than 35 million by 2050.
This is 77% more than in 2022, when there were 20 million cases of cancer.
The forecast is based on an assessment by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the WHO system.
The report was published on the eve of World Cancer Day, which is celebrated on February 4.
“The rapidly growing threat of cancer reflects both the aging and growth of the global population and changes in people ’ s exposure to risk factors associated with socio-economic development, ” the organization said in a statement.
Tobacco, alcohol, obesity and air pollution remain key factors in the rise in cancer rates.
According to the WHO, the three most common cancers in the world in 2022 were lung cancer, breast cancer and colorectal cancer (colon or rectal).
Lung cancer accounted for 1.8 million deaths, or 18.7% of all cancer deaths.
It is followed by colorectal cancer - 900 thousand deaths (9.3%), liver cancer - 760 thousand deaths (7.8%), breast cancer - 670 thousand deaths (6.9%) and stomach cancer - 660 thousand deaths (6.8%).
A total of 9.7 million people died of cancer in 2022.
Experts note the connection of cancer with the human development index (HDI), especially with regard to breast cancer.
In countries with very high HDI, one in 12 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime and one in 71 women will die from it.
In contrast, in countries with low HDI, one in 27 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime, and one in 48 women will die.
“Women in countries with lower HDI are 50% less likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than women in countries with high HDI.
At the same time, they are at a much higher risk of dying from this disease due to late diagnosis and insufficient access to quality treatment, ” said Isabel Surjomataram, deputy head of IARC ’ s cancer surveillance department.
Global inequality is also revealed in the coverage of cancer services.
For example, in high-income countries, lung cancer treatments were four to seven times more likely to be included in the list of public health services than in low-income countries.
“A new global WHO study sheds light on the serious inequalities and lack of financial protection against cancer around the world, and populations, especially in low-income countries, do not have access to basic cancer treatment, ” said Dr. Bente Mikkelsen, director of the Department of Health.
Overall, the results of a survey conducted by WHO in 115 countries show that most countries lack adequate funding for basic cancer treatment services.
Only 39% of the participating countries cover the costs of basic cancer treatments and only 28% cover the care of people who require palliative care.

A Lancet study found a global shortage of 6.4 million doctors, with adequate healthcare staff essential for system functioning and informed national planning.

Title:

Content: A global study by The Lancet found that there are about 6.4 million doctors missing in the world.
To date, more than 12.8 million specialists with a medical diploma work in the field of health care, but much more is needed.
Staffing capacity
The study, titled “Measuring human resource affordability for health and its relationship to universal health coverage for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study, ” was published May 23 in The Lancet.
The authors studied the number of doctors, nurses and midwives, dental and pharmaceutical staff and found that as of 2019, there were shortages of doctors in 132 countries.
Globally, there are more than 43 million health workers missing when we compare the current level of coverage with the targets needed to achieve universal health coverage.
“This is the most comprehensive and comprehensive assessment to date of the global health workforce.
Adequate numbers of health workers are necessary for the normal functioning of health systems, so it is important to own such data so that countries can make informed decisions and plan for the future, ” said the study ’ s senior author, director of health organization at the Institute of Health Metrics and Assessment (IHME) at the University of Washington School of Medicine, Dr. Rafael Lozano.
As of 2019, there were 104 million healthcare workers worldwide, including 12.8 million doctors, 29.8 million nurses and midwives, 4.6 million dental workers, and 5.2 million pharmacists and pharmacists.
The study revealed more than a tenfold difference in the availability of health workers across regions and between countries.
The greatest shortage of doctors is in South Asia, where there is a shortage of 2.57 million doctors; in sub-Saharan Africa, there is a shortage of about 1.92 million doctors, in Southeast Asia, East Asia and Oceania - 995,000, in North Africa and the Middle East - 636,000 doctors.
On average, there are 16.7 doctors per 10,000 people in the world.
Density ranges from 2.9 physicians per 10,000 population in sub-Saharan Africa to 38.3 per 10,000 in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
Cuba unexpectedly stands out among other countries with an indicator of 84.4 doctors per 10 thousand people (for comparison: 2.1 doctors per 10 thousand in Haiti).
The availability of health workers in general is closely related to the level of social and economic development of the region, the authors of the study noted.
Health standards
“There are various strategies and policy approaches that can help address staffing shortages, and they need to be tailored to the individual situation in each country.
We hope that these assessments can be used to prioritize policy actions and inform future planning.
Achieving high levels of effective health coverage requires a significant increase in the number of health workers worldwide, ” the press release said.
Experts assessed staffing based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the WHO Health Personnel 2030 strategy.
The authors of the study called on the leaders of countries to pay attention to the problem of shortage of medical workers and to develop comprehensive programs to solve it
Overall, experts estimate that an additional 6.4 million doctors, 30.6 million nurses, 3.3 million dentists and 2.9 million pharmacists and pharmacists are required to reach the minimum thresholds.
“We do not consider these minimum thresholds mandatory, rather desirable.
We propose to use them as guidelines, and then the program developers in each country should take into account their own situation and their own experience.
In some places, the healthcare system works better with fewer staff, and in some places worse with more staff.
The threshold is a convenient and innovative metric for determining gaps, but it should be remembered that this is not only a matter of quantity, but also of quality, ” the study says.
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The study’s author, Dr. Rafael Lozano of IHME, emphasized using this data for policy, while considering quality as well as quantity.

The U.S. FDA has ordered pharmaceutical manufacturers to inform the agency of production interruptions or API supply issues.

Title:

Content: FDA gave instructions to pharmaceutical manufacturers to prevent the risk of defects
The FDA has released a draft guideline that will allow pharmaceutical manufacturers to more accurately report disruptions to the production of drugs and APIs.
In particular, it specifies who should contact the regulator in case of a failure in production and on which products it is necessary to transmit information.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued draft guidelines to pharmaceutical manufacturers to prevent the risk of flaw.
According to the instructions, they will notify the agency of changes in the manufacturing process of drugs, biological products or active pharmaceutical ingredients (API).
In the United States, FD & C. It requires manufacturers to notify the agency of interruptions in the supply of products or APIs.
The FDA ’ s new guidelines provide clarifications.
Manufacturers must submit a notice to the FDA at least six months before stopping drug production, which could lead to their shortages on the market.
If it is not possible to notify the agency six months in advance, it should be done “as soon as possible ”.
If interruptions in production may affect the supply situation, the manufacturer should assess the situation only on the basis of its capabilities.
It should not take into account the capacity of other manufacturers, the amount of product on the market or market demand.
The guidelines also state what specific product or API information manufacturers should report when informing the FDA.
CBS, citing a report from the US Senate, writes that by the end of 2022, the shortage of drugs in the US had reached a five-year peak and affected almost 300 pharmaceutical products.
This is due to the fact that the United States moved production to China, India and other countries.
According to the American Society of Health System Pharmacists, products such as sodium chloride solution, the antibiotic amoxicillin and albuterol inhalation solution are now in short supply.
Nikolay Sokolov
pharmvestnik

Manufacturers are required to notify the FDA at least six months in advance of halting drug production to help prevent shortages.

Title:

Content: FDA gave instructions to pharmaceutical manufacturers to prevent the risk of defects
The FDA has released a draft guideline that will allow pharmaceutical manufacturers to more accurately report disruptions to the production of drugs and APIs.
In particular, it specifies who should contact the regulator in case of a failure in production and on which products it is necessary to transmit information.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued draft guidelines to pharmaceutical manufacturers to prevent the risk of flaw.
According to the instructions, they will notify the agency of changes in the manufacturing process of drugs, biological products or active pharmaceutical ingredients (API).
In the United States, FD & C. It requires manufacturers to notify the agency of interruptions in the supply of products or APIs.
The FDA ’ s new guidelines provide clarifications.
Manufacturers must submit a notice to the FDA at least six months before stopping drug production, which could lead to their shortages on the market.
If it is not possible to notify the agency six months in advance, it should be done “as soon as possible ”.
If interruptions in production may affect the supply situation, the manufacturer should assess the situation only on the basis of its capabilities.
It should not take into account the capacity of other manufacturers, the amount of product on the market or market demand.
The guidelines also state what specific product or API information manufacturers should report when informing the FDA.
CBS, citing a report from the US Senate, writes that by the end of 2022, the shortage of drugs in the US had reached a five-year peak and affected almost 300 pharmaceutical products.
This is due to the fact that the United States moved production to China, India and other countries.
According to the American Society of Health System Pharmacists, products such as sodium chloride solution, the antibiotic amoxicillin and albuterol inhalation solution are now in short supply.
Nikolay Sokolov
pharmvestnik

A mother of a diabetic child reported difficulty obtaining Novo Rapid insulin from insurance due to ongoing shortages, sometimes having to rely on other patients for supply.

Title:

Content: Saturday 13 July 2024
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
Abdurrahim Ali
Editor-in-Chief
Dalia Abdul Rahim
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editorial Board
Abdurrahim Ali
Editor-in-Chief
Dalia Abdul Rahim
Reports & Investigations
A “cure ” for the lack of medicine.
News portal monitors the suffering of health insurance patients..
Health Minister Apologizes to Citizens
Head of the division: Insistence on using the trade name exacerbates the problem
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Hundreds of chronic disease patients from health insurance clinics suffer from a lack of treatments and medicines, especially diabetics; because of the lack of insulin and many other medicines that are not available, where the journey of great suffering begins after the patient leaves the examination room and the doctor writes the necessary treatment in the prescription, to surprise patients that the treatment does not exist and he has to look for it himself.
In this report, "Al-Bawaba News" monitors the suffering of patients looking for medicine in light of the lack of the market of local and imported medicines in health insurance pharmacies and free market pharmacies, where « Al-Bawaba » met "Amina", a 50-year-old woman suffering from diabetes, went to health insurance in the city of Al-Mahalla Al-Kubra, in an attempt to get her treatment to clash with reality. The health insurance deducts a fixed monthly subscription for her treatment, but the head of the pharmacy inside Ibn Sina Clinic in Mahalla Al-Kubra confirmed that the treatment is not currently available, and that the patient must go to three pharmacies affiliated with the Health Insurance Authority, and three pharmacies outside it affiliated with the Health Insurance also, to get the medicine.
"Amina" did not despair of attempts and despite her illness, she went to 6 pharmacies affiliated with health insurance inside and outside the headquarters and did not find sugar medicines available, even she did not find it in the free market in various pharmacies.
The suffering continues.
Amina ’ s condition is not unique in the midst of a hustle of medication shortages, as Menna Magdy from Giza also complained about the lack of insulin and tapes needed for a glucose meter, which has become rare.
“Mina ”, the mother of a diabetic child, said:“ I am a son diagnosed from 1 year and 4 months with diabetes type I take Novo Rapid and sediment, of course we are supposed to take insulin from insurance and imposed according to measurements, but they do not need enough insulin in the middle of the lack of drugs, and when Benji I spend the treatment every two months..
We have to take medicine from other patients. ”
She pointed out that there is a clear suffering that appears in the patient groups and we are trying together to find solutions to the shortage of drugs, insulin and tapes, even in pharmacies in free markets we do not find.
She added in desperation: "We kept reducing the quantities of medicine against our will and from how many days of insulin ended up on the pharmacies of October all so that I find one Novo pen but not you."
In the governorate of Ismailia, despite the application of comprehensive health insurance in the governorate, but she has seen a shortage of medicines inside pharmacies, "Rawda", a mother of two diabetics, says that she suffers from the provision of medicines to her children with immune diabetes, where for the past 3 months she was unable to provide medicine from health insurance.
She added that after suffering a few doses were dispensed and without sugar measurement strips, and added that some substitutes of drugs for diabetes led to double pathological symptoms, where one of her children suffered from a high cumulative rate of up to 15 and enter the intensive care.
She pointed out that the shortage of medicines is not only in health insurance pharmacies and the public sector, but in free pharmacies, where she is looking for medicines in her province and neighboring provinces in order to obtain the prescribed doses of sugar for her sons.
Lack of medicines
Dr. Mahmoud Fouad, Executive Director of the Right to Medicine Association, stressed that there is a shortage of many medicines for many diseases such as immunological diseases, Mediterranean anemia, SLE, Duchenne diseases, muscular dystrophy, neurologic and psychological drugs, in addition to some hormone drugs.
Fouad explained in a statement to "Al-Bawaba News", that diabetics suffer from the lack of availability of some diabetes drugs, especially popular insulin, although there is an increase in the recent drug varieties to more than 30% of the drugs.
Fouad pointed out that there are some traders who store medicines in stores to offer them in the market at new prices, in addition to many problems related to imported medicines, which have also increased their price significantly.
Fouad pointed out that there is a new increase in a large number of items in the coming days by up to 50% and up to 80% for imported medicines.
In the same context, Dr. Ali Auf, head of the medicine division of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, said that the problem of medicine shortage is not only related to the provision of medicine from the state or pharmaceutical factories, but also related to the culture of the citizen in dealing with these medicines.
The head of the medicine division said in statements to "Al-Bawaba News" that the citizen deals badly with drugs in two cases, the first of which is to store a large amount in the case of a shortage and then provide it in pharmacies; for fear of suffering in obtaining it if shortage, and thus causes this behavior to deprive other patients to get their doses on time.
He added that the other wrong behavior is the use of essential drugs to treat some diseases such as diabetes in the treatment of another disease such as obesity, and therefore drugs are consumed at a higher rate than the production of companies, which makes the period of the end of the crisis longer than necessary.
He pointed out that most sugar medicines (pills) are available under the scientific name and not the commercial name, and that local insulin is manufactured internally and 85% of the insulin available in Egypt is local production, but the production covers the needs of health insurance and hospitals of the Ministry of Health and the government sector.
He added that there is a crisis in imported insulin, where it is available only by 15%, and international factories adhere to a production plan, and therefore in the case of increased consumption of drugs is not increased production in the actual time for the shortage of medicine, and thus patients in the local market resort to Egyptian insulin shows demand for medicine, which is a pressure and shows cases of drug shortage.
He pointed out that there is a near breakthrough to provide medicine, and that it is easy for Egyptians to deal with the scientific name and not commercial, and in case of any drug shortage, call the ambulance pharmacies available in Greater Cairo and the governorates through the hotline 16682 or call the Drug Authority on the hot number 15301; to find out where any medicines are missing and the scientific alternative to it.
For its part, the Drug Authority explained through its official page on Facebook that there are many alternatives to authentic medicines and all of them are safe and have the same effect and effectiveness as the original medicine; pointing out that the alternative medicine, is a medicine composed of an active substance different from the original medicine, but it is used to treat the same disease.
The Egyptian Medicines Authority advised that you should consult your doctor or pharmacist before using an alternative medicine as they can help you ensure that the alternative medicine is suitable for you and that it will not interact with any other medicines you are taking.
In the same context, the Authority said in a press release that Dr. Ali Al-Ghamrawi, President of the Egyptian Drug Authority, received a delegation of representatives of local companies and the Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industry to discuss ways of cooperation between the Authority, companies and the Chamber to provide medicines and necessary supplies in the Egyptian market.
Promises of the new government
In his first remarks to the new government on the crises of medicine, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said today in a press conference that the pharmaceutical sector in Egypt follows the private sector, and that the state is coordinating with the private sector to reduce the prices of medicine, stressing that the state is keen to stabilize the prices of medicine, especially that the Egyptian medicine is cheaper than most countries in the world.
He explained that the state is procuring the dollar to provide raw materials for manufacturing, and that the import of raw material at the daily price of the dollar caused great losses to the state.
Timeline
On the lack of medicine, the Prime Minister said that the drug prices were coordinated by the Drug Authority after developing a plan with the companies for the absence of any shortage of medicines in the coming period, and explained that the drug productivity takes a great time in manufacturing and therefore there is a shortage of medicines in the markets, pointing out that the coming period will witness a great abundance of medicines.
For his part, Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health, revealed that the drug file is important and has a dimension in the Egyptian national security, and affected like any commodity with dollar components during the last year and a half in light of the existence of global crises.
He explained that since the beginning of the crisis and the perception of the lack of currency to cover the needs, priorities have been set so that the citizen does not feel a shortage, stressing that the guests from Gaza and Sudan are all additions that affected the requirements of production and the basics of the pharmaceutical industry of raw materials.
He added that there were deficiencies in some types of medicines, but there are alternative or similar medicines and this culture is not approved by many, in the absence of the medicine written by the doctor they say it is incomplete.
Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health, continued that Egypt is the cheapest country in the world in medicine, and the unable is not affected by the high prices of medicine, adding that the state provides it and the Egyptian pharmaceutical industry covers 95% of the needs.
He added that there are 69 million citizens who are insured in the health insurance system that has existed since the 1960s, in addition to the beneficiaries of treatment decisions at the expense of the state.
Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health, said that the drug pricing procedures are the prerogatives of the Egyptian Drug Authority, pointing out that the increase in drug prices will be in the range of 30 to 35%.
The minister apologized.
The Minister of Health apologized to the citizens for the shortage of some medicines in the markets during the recent period, stressing that during the next few months there will be no shortage of imported or local medicines, as the import of raw materials began to restart production and will be in cooperation with the entire minister to take care of the pharmaceutical industry.
He added that the state is keen to provide all the necessary capabilities for the treatment of patients and the provision of medicines, and that there is an upcoming international cooperation with the international institution "Gustav" for the treatment of tumors in France, which does not have a presence outside France.
It receives patients from all over the world, which is the center of excellence for the treatment of tumors in the world, and the efforts of the Egyptian government have been successful in persuading it to receive the center with all its competencies and expertise to participate the Ministry of Health in the work of a hospital in Egypt.
He explained that Egyptian doctors will be trained abroad to transfer international experiences and expertise to Egypt, stressing that the citizen will be treated at the highest international level without incurring any dime, but paid instead by the state through health insurance.
He stressed the completion of 24 projects to develop hospitals at a cost of 7.34 billion pounds, adding that there are 20 new projects in 11 governorates and these hospitals will operate with a capacity of 2,747 beds.
Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health, said that the presidential initiatives launched by President Sisi led to an increase in the average age of the Egyptian human being.
Dr. Abdul Ghaffar explained that the national projects plan from 2025 to 2026, stressing that it includes 54 projects in 24 governorates in the Republic and will operate with a capacity of 9588 beds.
Dr. Abdel Ghaffar added that the comprehensive health insurance project will end in 2030 and will cover all governorates of the Republic, stressing that Egypt has received thousands of sick and injured cases coming from the Gaza Strip, and will be assisted in rebuilding the health system in the Gaza Strip within the framework of Egyptian assistance to the brothers.

She was forced to reduce medicine doses and could only occasionally find a Novo pen at some pharmacies.

There is an expected price increase of up to 50% for many drugs and up to 80% for imported medicines soon.

Pharmacy division leaders stated that some citizens stockpile drugs during shortages, leading to further deprivation for other patients.

Egypt’s Minister of Health asserted that Egypt has the world’s cheapest medicines and 95% of needs are covered domestically, assuring support for the unable.

The Ministry of Health cited the completion of 24 hospital development projects and announced 20 new hospital projects with nearly 2,750 beds.

Heavy pressure on hospitals has resulted in some cases being unable to receive necessary treatment, leading to complications.

Title:

Content: General Supervision
Elham Aboul Fath
Editor-in-Chief
Thank you for your patience.
General Supervision
Elham Aboul Fath
Editor-in-Chief
Thank you for your patience.
Despite the availability of the dollar...
Parliamentary action on the suffering of people with chronic diseases due to the lack of treatment
Dr. Hisham Hussein, Secretary of the Suggestions and Complaints Committee of the House of Representatives, submitted a request for a briefing to Advisor Dr. Hanafi Jebali, President of the Council, addressed to the Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Population, on the continued shortage of medicines and medical supplies, despite the availability of the dollar, and the impact of this on people with chronic diseases.
Hisham Hussein pointed out that the past few days have witnessed a great problem in the insufficiency of intensive care beds and emergency departments in hospitals, due to the frequency of critical cases, which were unable to get the necessary treatment on the scheduled dates.
Hisham Hussein explained that many people with chronic diseases such as heart, kidney, tumors, diabetes and others delayed the payment of their scheduled treatment, whether from health insurance, or treatment at the expense of the state, which caused complications that led to their need to enter hospitals in emergency departments or non-intensive care.
The MP stressed that because of the heavy pressure on hospitals, many cases were unable to get the necessary treatment, which led to many complications and portends a great problem.
The member of the House of Representatives pointed out that many have pinned their hopes on the availability of the dollar in the past period, to meet the needs of the medical sector of medicines and supplies, saying: However, it seems that more action is needed in this regard.
Hisham Hussein called on the Ministry of Health, in coordination with the concerned authorities, to take the necessary measures to provide all medicines and medical supplies for the benefit of chronic diseases, by reviewing all needs, stressing the need to facilitate procedures to obtain medicines through health insurance or treatment at the expense of the state.

Poor patients have suffered greatly due to medicine shortages, with long queues forming at ambulance pharmacies.

Essential medicines for chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart, nerve, and colon conditions were sometimes unavailable, putting patients’ lives at risk.

Title:

Content: Crowding citizens in front of the ambulance pharmacy reveals the extent of suffering …
6.
The suffering of poor patients is due to the lack of medicines.
Where the pharmaceutical market has been suffering for several consecutive months from a severe shortage in many varieties.. Which prompted citizens to crowd in front of the ambulance pharmacy in long queues to buy those shortcomings after they disappeared from all pharmacies..
Hustle...
Chaos...
Hundreds of men and women crowded in long queues that extend for several hours.. This is the scene in front of the ambulance pharmacy in the center of the country. People with chronic diseases of sugar, pressure, heart, nerves and colon became their only hope to find essential drugs for them in the pharmacy.. The absence of these drugs does not only expose them to more pain but may expose them to death.. They can not do without them..
The drug shortage crisis.
It is not a new crisis, but it has been repeated many times during the previous term of Minister “Khaled Abdel Ghaffar ”.. Instead of trying to solve the crisis, the government is going against the trend, where the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health Dr.“ Khaled Abdel Ghaffar ” in statements after the government statement to parliament to the need to increase the prices of medicine in Egypt because it is the cheapest in the world and sold abroad by 50 times. According to the data of the Medbelle global platform for health care and funded by the European Fund for Regional Development in 2021, Egypt is ranked ninth in the list of cheapest countries in the world in the sale of medicine, and did not come in the first place as mentioned by the minister
Despite the repeated statements of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health to resolve the crisis and provide the missing medicines, and despite the government ’ s repeated talk about the localization of the pharmaceutical industry in Egypt, the reality is quite the opposite.
There are a number of terrible complaints about the lack of medicine in public hospitals and pharmacies, including a collective complaint from the patients of the university hospitals in Assiut Governorate of the lack of availability of drugs and the absence of dye injections, which puts their lives at risk. Although the patients filed a complaint to the governor two weeks ago, but to no avail. The long queue of two or three hours to win a box of insulin Maxtard despite the increase in the price from 60 pounds to 93 pounds confirms the extent of suffering experienced by patients. Also, the disappearance of Indoxan injections used in chemotherapy sessions threatens oncology patients, where thousands of patients in oncology institutes and hospitals suffer from delayed chemotherapy sessions for lack and disappearance of Indoxan injection. The right to medicine, but the crisis still exists.
There is also a shortage of many drugs, including blood thinners and clots solvents, drugs for the treatment of cancerous tumors, multiple sclerosis drugs, drugs for the treatment of liver diseases, drugs for stomach ulcers and blood pressure, drugs for sinuses, heart and thyroid diseases, dozens of types of analgesics, antibiotics and vitamins, as well as anesthetics used in anesthesia and solutions in public hospitals. Subsidized children, which was exploited by the mafia of the black market to raise prices to double the original price of milk can up to 500 pounds..
All types of treatments for epilepsy, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobias and hyperactivity disease are still unavailable due to the lack of import of raw materials.
Health Insurance Patients
The crisis is not limited to hospitals and pharmacies only, but the branches of health insurance suffer from a large shortage of medicine and also medical supplies, which led to the closure of the operating rooms in the branches of insurance in the province of Beni Suef..
In the health insurance clinics in Cairo and Giza, many of those who frequent these clinics complained that they come from 7 am to reserve their roles in order to dispense their medicines and end up sitting in the pharmacy waiting for the pharmacist who dispenses them some of them, and the rest of their medicines are separated in new prescriptions to be dispensed from the insurance pharmacies, if any. Blood thinners and thrombotic solvents, some pressure medications, multiple sclerosis medications, stomach ulcer and thyroid medications, sugar, antibiotics, vitamins, Parkinson ’ s medications, and hyperactivity protocol.
Many cases complained of the lack of their medicines, which they have been dispensing for years.. And they were dispensed periodically every two months for a year after the approval of the Drug Committee to dispense those medicines, including a special medicine liquidity imported medicines, and patients with diabetes and blood diseases were their complaint that any imported medicine and its price expensive requires the highest approval of a committee in the Council of Ministers..
Although patients have been dispensing the same medication for several years, this complaint is frequent from universal health insurance patients.
Detention of raw materials
Dr. Ali Auf, head of the pharmaceutical division of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, said that the reason for the worsening of the shortage of medicines is the detention of raw materials in ports, pointing out that there are about 1000 items that are not available.
Exchange rate
Mahmoud Fouad, Executive Director of the Right to Medicine Association, said that the aggravation of the crisis is due to the companies stockpiling medicines in anticipation of higher prices, explaining that the crisis began about two years ago due to the shortage of raw materials as a result of the high exchange rate and the inability of companies to provide dollar materials to import raw materials.
Fouad stressed that there are more than 1000 drugs whose prices rose during the past year by rates ranging from 25% to 60%, pointing out that the increase reached during the current days to 60% for the local and 80% for the importer.
Fouad described the statements of the Minister of Health about the price of Egyptian medicine as being 50 times lower than abroad as shocking, pointing out that there was a successive movement of prices from the Drug Pricing Committee of the Egyptian Drug Authority starting in 2023, which resulted in the movement of about 1,000 varieties.
He explained that Egypt suffered during the last two years from the phenomenon of medicine shortage due to the shortage of imported raw materials as a result of the economic crisis and the fluctuation of the exchange rate … and the crisis affected items considered life-saving.
Fouad stressed that drug sales in Egypt reached about $3 billion a year in 2023 without the sales of the armed forces and the interior and tenders of the Ministry of Health, which means that Egypt is considered the largest market in the region.
Unfair pricing system
He explained that Egypt had been subject to the pricing of medicines for 10 years according to the decision of the Minister of Health under the system of "lower pricing for neighboring countries" and then the pricing was according to the decision 413 of 1991, which is "calculating the cost and profit margin for companies and distribution and then pharmacies" according to the compulsory pricing that began in 1988.
He explained that the pricing is according to the cheapest price in the reference countries identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 36 countries to guide their prices and the minister to take them or not, pointing out that these countries are the major industrial countries and have comprehensive health insurance laws, which Egypt lacks.
Fouad added that this system in pricing is unfair as medicine has become subject to market mechanisms, supply and demand and suspicions of monopoly, the price is controlled by the policy of supply and demand, which makes medicine a commodity sold to those who can, especially since there are more than millions of Egyptian people not participating in the health insurance system, which only 63% of citizens participate.
Fouad pointed out that Egypt has about 17 officially registered medicines, 90% of which are manufactured, 176 companies that own factories, 7 business sector companies, 22 branches of foreign companies and 1,200 commercial companies that do not own a factory.
He stressed that the crisis of medicine shortage and successive rises will make the Egyptian citizen groaning and unable to bear it.
Fouad warned of the danger of the expected increases in drug prices during the coming period.

Complaints about shortages have been made to authorities without resolution, and the crisis continues.

Some central pharmacies reportedly have enough resources to supply hospitals, while others face indebtedness and lack of stock.

Title:

Content: -- -- -- / -- -- --
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Central Pharmacy announces receipt of 62 drugs to treat cancer patients
The Director General of the Central Pharmacy of the Hospitals, Samir Farhat, revealed that 62 drugs were received for the treatment of cancer patients.
Farhat said on Sunday in a statement to the third radio channel that within the framework of the program of the central pharmacy, the central pharmacy received a large amount of drugs intended for the treatment of cancer patients.
“From November 1, 2022 to January 1, 2023, we received 62 cancer drugs, ” he said.
"The central pharmacy has met all the needs of hospital pharmacies across different states."
He added that the central pharmacy has all the material means to take care of all hospital requests in a timely manner.
The director of the central pharmacy pointed out that the problem of drug shortage is a global problem, due to the Asian manufacturers of the drug as well as problems related to supply, in addition to the closure witnessed by China during the COVID-19 crisis.
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A lack of medicine endangers patient health and highlights the need for a constant supply to ensure high-quality healthcare.

The Jordanian Minister of Health denied shortages but said efforts are underway for rationalized use.

Title:

Content: Minister of Health: There is no shortage of medicines and supplies and we are working on rationalization and rationalization
Wednesday ، 26 October 2022 05: 11 PM
Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar Minister of Health
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Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Health, stressed that there is no shortage of medicines and medical supplies, pointing out that there is a global shortage as a result of a shortage in supply chains due to the failure of factories to operate with the same efficiency due to Coronavirus.
He added at the ministry level that we transferred the financial commitments to the Unified Procurement Authority in order to be able to get everything we need, adding: "We are working on rationalization and rationalization in light of the global shortage in supply chains and coordinate on a daily basis with the Drug Authority to review all medicines."
In response to the demands of some deputies to allow medical staff to take vacations in accordance with the Civil Service Law, the Minister of Health asked how the situation is evaluated and there is a shortage of doctors in health institutions and allow vacations, saying: "The need to work is first of all, wondering how we have a shortage and at the same time open vacations, stressing that 50% of the force that we complain of inadequacy will not exist."
He pointed to the formation of a higher committee with all specialized professors to review the treatment protocols, pointing out that if the treatment protocol is changed, it is done without prejudice to the treatment received by the patient.
This came during the comment of Dr. Khalid Abdul Ghaffar, Minister of Health in the plenary session of the House of Representatives on the requests for briefing, questions and discussion, which amounted to nearly one hundred surveillance tools today.
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Ongoing conflict and blockade threaten to halt Yemen’s health system and the National Drug Supply Program.

Title:

Content: Read at the conference.
THE GREAT OCTOBER SEPTEMBER BLARES
The conference is protected by millions of its members.
Why are “steadfast Syria ” and“ resistant Yemen ” absent from the Arab summit in Algeria
The book is written on October 14.
October and the Need to Correct Attitudes
Not just a slogan, but a revolution.
Conference..
Decades of Development and Political Achievements
Peace and love
Anniversary of the Establishment of the National Conference and the National Charter
The National Charter is the real reference for getting out of crises
The conference...
The starting point of construction, development and democracy
Four Decades Anniversary of the Establishment of the General People ’ s Congress
Greeting Card for Unified Yemen
NEWS
Conference -
Health: Continued blockade threatens drug supply
The Ministry of Public Health and Population confirmed that the continuation of the aggression and siege threatens to stop the health system in Yemen, including the National Drug Supply Program.
The Ministry called on the United Nations to assume its humanitarian responsibilities and solve the problems related to the health sector in general and the pharmaceutical sector in particular and save patients immediately by facilitating the entry of medicines or work to provide them as required, especially life-saving medicines.
It also called for the lifting of the siege and the opening of air, sea and land ports, especially Sana ’ a Airport, to all commercial and international flights and humanitarian assistance, on an ongoing basis, especially to pharmaceutical shipments and medical supplies, and facilitate their entry.
The statement, read by the official spokesman of the ministry, Dr. Anis Al-Asbahi, called on the United Nations to allow the entry of medical aid without conditions or detention, or delay, as it is a purely humanitarian mission.
He called on the organizations working in the field of health to pay attention to the provision of life-saving drugs and facilitate their entry, including kidney transplant drugs and immunological drugs and joint cooperation to cover the need effectively.
The statement stressed the need to work on the rehabilitation of the national drug supply program in order to provide an integrated drug service and comply with international conditions and strengthen field supervision in the field of medical supplies.
He pointed out that the program seeks its modest capabilities to meet the severe need of important and life-saving medicines on a continuous, effective and fair basis and distribute them to those who deserve them, through available and possible means, whether government, private sector or organizations.
The statement touched on the efforts of the program during the past few years in providing quality medicines for the first time, in addition to its work and its usual activity as a humanitarian initiative to save the lives of many patients, especially in the period of aggression against the country.
He pointed out that the increasing number of people with rare and immunological diseases at the present time will contribute to the non-provision of the service in the future as a result of the continuation of the blockade.
The Director General of the National Drug Supply Program, Dr. Samir Al-Sanafi, reviewed the efforts of the program in providing the needs of patients with subsidized medicines according to the national list of essential medicines, noting that he worked on the purchase of medicines in addition to receiving and disbursing health aids and aids, especially insulin for diabetics, kidney transplants, immunological diseases, hemophilia, pressure, heart, epilepsy, tablet sclerosis and stunting drugs.
He explained that the total number of patients directly benefiting from the program is 169,627 cases of chronic diseases.
Dr. Al-Sanafi stressed that the aggression and siege caused a health disaster and difficulties, the consequences of which affected the performance of health institutions, including the pharmaceutical supply program, the most important of which is the difficulty of providing vital medicines as a result of the companies' apology and the difficulty of importing them.
He pointed out that the detention of aid and containers at air, sea and land ports in the areas controlled by the aggression and its mercenaries has brought closer the end of medicines, poor storage and increased costs added to detention fees and others.
The program director pointed out that the blockade has caused an increase in the cost of vital medicines provided by the program continuously, such as kidney transplant drugs, due to the difficulty of obtaining them through official agents or through operating organizations, and the aggression has caused an increase in the number of patients, especially rare, genetic and immunological diseases such as hemophilia and liver, whose medicines were provided with high cost, which were not available previously.
He touched on the difficulties faced by the program such as the Corona pandemic and the spread of epidemics such as cholera, diphtheria, rabies and others.
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This program has provided quality medicines for the first time and benefits 169,627 chronic disease patients.

Calls were made for international pressure to allow medical device imports in areas under occupation.

Title:

Content: News » Government News
Abu Rish Delivers a Message to the UN Coordinator to Pressure the Occupation to Introduce Medical Devices
03 February 2022 09: 42
Gaza - Opinion
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health Yousef Abu Al-Rish delivered a written letter to the UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs, Ms. Lynn Hastings, to pressure the occupation to introduce the diagnostic medical devices and spare parts needed for the maintenance of the devices urgently and without delay to enable the ministry to enhance its readiness to face the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This came during the reception of the UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs, Ms. Lynn Hastings, in the presence of the official of the Coordination Unit in OCHA, Mr. Alberto Nata, and the Director of the World Health Office in Palestine, Dr.
Rick Biberkorn, OCHA Assistant Humanitarian Coordinator, Alaa Abu Ramadan, and Director of the World Health Office in Gaza
Dr. Abdel Nasser Sobh, Director General of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Health.
Dr. Abdullatif Al-Haj, Director General of the Turkish Friendship Hospital
Sobhi Skaik and the Director of Foreign Relations dr.
Major ruffles.
Abu Rish put the UN delegation in the urgent need for many diagnostic medical devices and spare parts, which the occupation continues to prevent their entry into the Gaza Strip, which poses a great challenge to the efforts to face the developments of the epidemiological situation at a time when the world is mobilizing its medical capabilities to limit the spread of the virus and provide medical service, which is denied to the patient in Gaza for no reason.
During the meeting, Abu Rish explained a number of developments in the health work in the Gaza Strip and the health efforts in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the Gaza Strip is witnessing an accelerated increase in the number of injuries recorded daily.
He referred to the health measures that the Ministry of Health continues to apply in the first, second and third waves, and in the current fourth wave, pointing out that the Ministry has harnessed all its human resources and medical equipment to enhance the health care provided to the patients of COVID-19 and the new mutations.
Abu Al-Rish spoke about the repercussions of the shortage of medicines and the added burden on the patient, who is silently monitoring the depletion of the pharmaceutical funds necessary to complete his treatment, especially cancer patients, whose suffering is summarized by the blockade on their therapeutic rights.
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A global panel discussed the need for political will and investment to sustain pandemic preparedness and secure healthcare supply chains.

Title:

Content: This came in a panel discussion held during the Forum – which was broadcast on its official website a little while ago – and highlighted that the global pandemic preparedness system needs sustained political will and investments to ensure that the global healthcare supply chain responds effectively to any crisis.
If we don ’ t take pandemic preparedness seriously now, the lives of millions more will be at stake.
The SARS, Ebola and COVID-19 crises have tested the world ’ s ability to deal with outbreaks of epidemics and infectious diseases, and the global pandemic preparedness system needs sustained political will and investments to ensure that the global healthcare supply chain responds effectively to the crisis.
“Eight years ago, when the Ebola outbreak proved that the world was no better prepared for outbreaks, there was more talk and some action, ” participants said.
This included the establishment of the Epidemiological Supply Chain Network (PSCN), by the World Health Organization, the World Economic Forum, the World Bank, the World Food Programme, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and more than 60 companies.
However, nearly three years after the COVID-19 pandemic – the worst global health crisis in a century – many of the same supply chain vulnerabilities remain, and although partnerships, such as PSCN and national efforts have somewhat reduced the severity of supply chain disruptions during the epidemic, efforts to develop a global pandemic preparedness system have not yet mobilized the will. “The sustainable policy and investment needed to ensure that global health care is delivered in a way that can respond effectively to any crisis. ”
The Forum recommended seven key actions to address this issue:
- Providing political will and sustainable financing.
Although crises often lead to an influx of short-term spending, money quickly dries up as memories fade and priorities change.
Genuine global health security requires global financing mechanisms that enable sustainable investment and ultimately break panic and fear.
- Geographical diversification in manufacturing; achieving greater geographical diversity requires more than just investing in new factories.
Long-term contracts and financial guarantees are needed to maintain the manufacturing of important health-care materials in diverse locations.
- Improved inventory management.
In addition to strengthening stocks of personal protective equipment (PPE) at local, regional and national levels, we must manage medical stocks more intelligently.
- Establish platforms for data exchange and enhanced transparency.
Through globally focused PSCN and various national efforts, while progress has been made, encouraging responsible information sharing between public and private partners requires substantial additional funding.
Promote the free flow of goods.
Over the past three years, government restrictions on exports have played an important role in exacerbating the lack of product distribution.
While governments ’ desire to protect their people in times of crisis is understandable, international cooperation to allow the free flow of key products reduces the risk of viral spread.
- Strengthen coordinated early warning systems for epidemics.
Strengthening health systems and improving primary care.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, said: “Universal health coverage and health emergencies are cousins – two sides of the same coin.
Significant and sustained investments are needed if we are to reap the benefits of expanded access to care. ”

Maintaining a free flow of goods and significant investment are required to improve healthcare access.

The lack of medicine continues to be a significant concern globally.

Title:

Content: The lack of medicine continues to burn!
The Ministry of Health and Welfare has proposed a short, medium and long-term strategy to deal with the current 5 coping mechanisms.
Journalist Yen Zhenzhen / Taipei Report
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the shortage of drugs is not a single factor, but includes supply problems, manufacturing problems, clinical demand factors, uneven distribution of drugs, drug use habits and drug prices. In addition to dealing with the relatively high clinical demand items, it is properly allocated to all levels of medical institutions and pharmacies to fully meet the needs of clinical end-use drugs.
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In the face of the shortage of drugs, Wang said, the existing health insurance uses five major coping mechanisms, including 1, a single processing window, a dedicated person to help deal with the problem of drug purchase, and contact the Food and Drug Administration to put relevant information on the website of the NHI. (4) Drug price adjustment mechanism that does not meet the cost can be re-checked according to the way of raising the price of special drugs; (5) Alternative drugs can still declare the cost, if they are not irreplaceable, they can be replaced at the same price or lower than the original prescription drug price.
In addition, Wang pointed out that in the face of the international epidemic, the Russian-Ukrainian war, and labor shortage, drug shortage is a problem facing all countries. In order to strengthen the stable supply mechanism of drugs in China, the Ministry of Health and Welfare continues to actively respond to the short-term strategy to solve the problem of drug shortage. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the pharmaceutical industry have made every effort to actively arrange production lines, strive for early import, increase production / import quantity, and properly distribute to all levels of medical institutions and pharmacies to fully meet the demand for clinical end use drugs.
In addition, to properly handle the issue of drug price adjustment, the Central Health Insurance Administration of the Ministry of Health and Welfare intends to implement the "Universal Health Insurance Cost Distribution Target System (DET)" in April this year, which will adjust the number of drug prices and adjust the quota in a suitable manner, taking into account factors such as the epidemic, the Russian-Ukrainian war and inflation.
In terms of medium-term strategy, Wang said that he will establish a permanent drug shortage treatment center and optimize drug supply information transmission.
In order to speed up the handling of drug shortage incidents, we will adopt dedicated personnel and cross-departmental cooperation to develop drug shortage prevention policies to prevent drug shortage in advance, strengthen cross-departmental data integration and proactive monitoring to detect drug shortage incidents at an early stage, and intervene early through cross-departmental cooperation to stabilize drug supply.
At the same time, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to disseminate drug supply and alternative drug information through various channels. In addition to posting on the “Drug Supply Information Platform ”, the FDA will notify medical institutions and pharmacies through VPN, and weekly letters to relevant medical associations and public associations to inform members. Management system.
In the long-term strategy section, it includes reviewing the current health insurance drug pricing policy and encouraging the production of domestically manufactured generic drugs.
Wang Bi-sheng pointed out that in the review of the current health insurance drug price policy, including the development of the price protection of indicative drugs, drug price review for the lack of drugs; start the review of drug expenditure target (DET), plan the establishment of a risk control mechanism, plan the national unified procurement trial plan; comprehensively review the health insurance drug price policy, give an appropriate price protection mechanism for necessary drugs, and also target the patent period. To encourage the production of domestic manufacturers to ensure that when there is a shortage of original pharmaceutical products, there are domestic famous drugs to respond.
Wang also stressed that the Food and Drug Administration has set up a "Drug Supply Information Platform" (https: / / dsms.fda.gov.tw /), reporting hotline (02) 27878249. If medical institutions and pharmacies have any shortage of drugs, they can go to the platform for enquiry or notification, and the department will deal with it immediately.
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to disseminate drug supply and alternative drug information through various channels.

Rare disease patients require access to doctor care, medications, and protection.

Title:

Content: Health · Life
Let rare disease patients have a doctor, medicine, and protection
Li He
January 11, 2023 07: 51 Source: Science and Technology Daily
53%
In recent years, relevant departments have strongly supported the prevention and protection of rare diseases, and strengthened the supply of rare diseases research, diagnosis and treatment and drug research and development.
According to statistics, as of the end of November 2022, 89 drugs for the treatment of 45 rare diseases have been approved in China, and the number of rare diseases that can be treated in China accounts for 53% of the number of rare diseases that can be treated in the world.
On January 8 this year, the on-site negotiations on the national medical insurance drug catalog in 2022 were officially concluded.
Among them, 19 drugs for rare diseases, including Fabric's disease, Pompeii's disease, Gosher's disease, pulmonary hypertension and spinal muscular atrophy, set a new record.
Rare diseases are also called "orphan diseases".
According to the definition given in the "China Rare Disease Definition Research Report 2021", diseases with a neonatal incidence of less than one in 10,000, a prevalence of less than one in 10,000, and a number of diseases with a disease of less than 140,000, can be rare diseases.
Although the incidence of rare diseases is extremely low, but there are many kinds of diseases, the total number of patients is not a lot.
As of February 2022, there are more than 20 million rare disease patients in China, and more than 200,000 new patients are added every year.
Qiao Jie, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and executive vice president of Peking University, said that more than 7,000 rare diseases have been found in the world, about 80 percent of which are hereditary diseases and about 50 percent of which occur in childhood.
"Disease without medicine", "medicine without medicine" and "medicine without insurance" are common "crux" faced by patients with rare diseases.
Build a network of diagnosis and treatment, solve the problem of "no medical care"
Because rare diseases are rare and the number of patients with a single disease is very small, doctors, especially grass-roots hospitals, have insufficient ability to recognize and diagnose rare diseases, which restricts the improvement of rare diseases diagnosis and treatment ability.
The first step in the treatment of diseases is correct diagnosis, and difficult to diagnose is the first difficulty encountered by rare disease patients. In September 2021, a rare disease patient weighing only 18 kg was admitted to Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
A Beijing doctor who happened to return to his hometown to visit his family suggested that he go to Peking University First Hospital for detailed investigation, so that sail, who is suffering from congenital muscular dystrophy, has an opportunity for early treatment.
According to the "2020 China Rare Disease Comprehensive Social Survey" released by the China Rare Disease Alliance, 15.5% of the more than 20,000 patients participating in the survey need to experience 1-4 years of diagnosis, and 5% of patients need to experience 5-20 years of diagnosis, with an average diagnosis time of 4.26 years.
Of these, 42% also experienced a misdiagnosis.
In order to improve the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases, in 2018, the five departments of the National Health and Health Commission, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology jointly issued the "First Catalogue of Rare Diseases". 121 diseases were included in the list of rare diseases. In October 2019, China launched the registration of rare disease diagnosis and treatment information. In February 2020, the office of the national rare disease diagnosis and treatment network was officially established.
The implementation of a series of policies has made the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases in China continue to improve.
Zhang Liyang, president of Beijing Union Hospital and deputy director of the office of the National Rare Disease Diagnosis and Treatment Network, said that as the national leading hospital of the National Rare Disease Diagnosis and Treatment Network, in 2018 Beijing Union Hospital set up a multi-disciplinary consultation platform for rare diseases, which has registered 93 rare diseases in the National Rare Disease Direct Reporting System, involving more than 60,000 cases.
With the support of all parties, Beijing Union Hospital has taken the lead in carrying out many training sessions in many parts of the country, involving more than 80 rare diseases and covering more than 50,000 doctors.
Strengthen drug research and development and get rid of the dilemma of "medicine without medicine"
Due to the small market demand, difficult research and development, high cost and long cycle, there are not many pharmaceutical companies involved in the R & D and production of rare disease drugs, which leads to less rare disease drugs, known as "orphan drugs".
The data show that of the more than 7,000 rare diseases currently known, there are no more than 400 corresponding treatment drugs.
Strengthening the research and development of rare diseases is an important part of helping the treatment of rare diseases.
Domestic pharmaceutical companies are already working in this area.
Beihai Kangcheng, Kantini Pharmaceutical, Deyi Sunshine Bio, Shufang Medicine, Luang Yu Group, Faith Pharmaceutical Technology, etc. have invested huge funds and energy in the field of rare diseases drugs.
Beihaikang, for example, has received an exclusive global license from the Massachusetts State University School of Medicine to develop, produce and commercialize a new second-generation gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy.
Huang Guo, deputy director of the State Drug Administration, said that we need to continue to promote rare disease drug research and development innovation in the future, and encourage foreign innovative drugs to synchronously research and development, clinical and synchronous declaration in China, and strive to synchronize the listing, so that rare diseases patients in China can use drugs faster and use good drugs.
In recent years, relevant departments have strongly supported the prevention and protection of rare diseases, and strengthened the supply of rare diseases research, diagnosis and treatment and drug research and development.
According to statistics, as of the end of November 2022, 89 drugs for the treatment of 45 rare diseases have been approved in China, and the number of rare diseases that can be treated in China accounts for 53% of the number of rare diseases that can be treated in the world.
The introduction of multiple guarantees to reduce the worry of "drug no guarantee"
"Although the incidence of rare diseases is extremely low, the cost of medical treatment is very high, and the annual cost of medical treatment for rare diseases can reach tens of millions of yuan," said Shan Xiaoou, a member of the Rare Disease Group of the Chinese Medical Association.
In addition, medical insurance reimbursement is difficult, and many drugs for rare diseases with extremely high prices are not included in the list of basic medical insurance drugs.
Most of the medicines cannot be reimbursed by the basic medical insurance and the major diseases insurance fund, and they can only pay for themselves.
In order to enable more rare disease patients to afford drugs, the National Basic Medical Insurance, Industrial Injury Insurance and Maternity Insurance Drug Catalogue (2021) has included 58 rare disease drugs, accounting for about 67% of the listed rare disease drugs.
For example, Nocina sodium injection, which used to be 700,000 yuan per needle, was included in medical insurance after medical insurance negotiations with more than 30,000 yuan, and children with spinal muscular atrophy became "lucky children".
Various localities have also actively explored the mechanism of drug protection.
More than 10 provinces and cities across the country have set up drug protection mechanisms involving high-value drugs for rare diseases, including special funds, major medical insurance, financial contributions, medical assistance, and policy-oriented commercial insurance.
In many places, it is not just a single system guarantee, but by the government, the market and society to provide multiple guarantees, supplementing the national basic medical insurance, and realizing the "access to medication" of rare disease patients who need high-value drug treatment.
For example, Zhejiang is the first province to introduce a provincial medical guarantee mechanism for rare diseases. In 2015, according to the economic and social development level of Zhejiang Province, the balance of medical insurance fund and the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases.
In terms of commercial supplementary medical insurance, the "West Lake Benefit Joint Insurance" has set up special medical insurance for three rare diseases such as spinal muscular atrophy.
The medical insurance will be paid at a rate of 60 percent after deducting the initial payment line of 10,000 yuan for the year, and the maximum payment limit for the year will be 100,000 yuan.
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Rare diseases must be prevented.
"There are many kinds of birth defects, there are more than 8,000 kinds, a considerable proportion of which are rare diseases." Song Li, director of the Department of Maternal and Child Health of the National Health and Health Commission, said that the number of pre-screening institutions in China has reached more than 4,800, prenatal diagnostic institutions reached 498, and newborn genetic and metabolic disease screening institutions have been popularized in many provinces and cities.
Song Li pointed out that rare diseases should be prevented and controlled from the source.
China has adopted three levels of prevention and control measures to prevent birth defects, and has moved forward through marriage, childbirth and newborn screening, so as to ensure early detection, early intervention and early treatment, and reduce the incidence of rare diseases.
"In the case that more than 90% of rare diseases are not solved, prevention is the most cost-effective health strategy," Yu Xuejun, deputy director of the National Health Commission, said.
(Editor: Sun Hongli, Yang Di)
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Although individual rare disease incidence rates are extremely low, the large number of rare diseases means a significant total number of patients are affected.

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Content: People 's Network > > Education
From one person to a group of people wading through the "river" of rare diseases
April 03, 2023 08: 42 | Source: China Youth Daily
Small number
Original title: From one person to a group of people wading through the "river" of rare diseases
With the increasing attention of society to rare diseases, the average time to diagnose rare diseases has been shortened from four years to four weeks.
However, in many second- and third-tier cities or smaller places, it is still more difficult for patients to diagnose, and it is common for patients to seek medical treatment in different places.
"If I can maintain my current situation, I think I can do a lot of things in the future." This is Bobo's recent expectation.
As a spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type III patient, he waited 17 years from diagnosis without medication, to use without medication, and then to use medicine, Bobo. In early February, he completed the fifth injection of the "life-saving drug" Nosinasone sodium, "and" felt the function of turning over improved. "
The new version of the national medical insurance catalogue, implemented on March 1 this year, added seven new drugs for rare diseases, including the oral solution of risparam for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy.
There is also hope for Yang Mao.
She is a multiple sclerosis patient, and is also the director of the demyelinating (including multiple sclerosis, optic neuromyelitis and other rare diseases – reporter ’ s note) project of the Pain Challenge Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on rare diseases.
Seeing that dimethyl fumarate enteric capsules, ofatumumab injection and innerizumab injection for the treatment of rare diseases such as multiple sclerosis were included in the national medical insurance list for the first time, she shared the good news with her patients.
From patients diagnosed with rare diseases to fighting rare diseases, to helping more patients to fight rare diseases together, they must join hands to wade through the “river ” of rare diseases.
Diagnosis from 4 years to 4 weeks
It took 11 years for Bobo and his family to hear about spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) for the first time.
Like many children with spinal muscular atrophy, Bobo just learned to walk unsteadily, easy to fall, but the family did not take it seriously, until the age of 3, the family still thought it was "lack of calcium", eating calcium tablets for a period of time, walking instability is still not improved.
Later, Bobo was taken to Cangzhou, Tianjin and Beijing to seek medical treatment, and he was diagnosed with suspected muscular dystrophy at the age of six.
For a long time, Bobo regarded wrestling as the norm, "only knowing that he is sick, but not feeling worse than others."
In the second year of the first year, Bobo's symptoms suddenly worsened, his legs became more and more weak, and more than 200 meters from home to school needed help from others, and then even stood hard, his family realized that "it may be a big deal."
At Peking Union Hospital, after examination results such as electromyography, Bobo was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type III, a rare disease "many doctors did not even hear of the name at that time".
Bobo's experience is not uncommon in people with rare diseases.
This can happen even in first-tier cities where medical resources are relatively developed.
Yang Mao, who lives in Beijing and also attended university in Beijing, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in March 2014.
The year before, Yang Mao began to show signs of weakness, inability to walk straight lines, and serial writing.
The school doctor twice gave similar answers: "Very typical sub-health, go to bed early, play less mobile phones."
At the time of the diagnosis, she was lying in the emergency bed, after the nuclear magnetic examination and doctor's consultation, she kept hearing "the child is' okay ', this is the typical' McDonald's' expression."
Later she learned that "nothing" is the homophone of "multiple sclerosis" English abbreviation "MS", "McDonald's" refers to the international common multiple sclerosis McDonald diagnostic standard.
"If the human nerve is like a wire, this disease can be seen as the skin of the wire shedding." Mao thought of high school biological knowledge, immediately realized that he has a central nervous system inflammatory demyelinating disease, the immune cells in the body will mistakenly attack the central nervous system, mainly damage the spinal cord, brain and optic nerve, resulting in a variety of neurological dysfunction.
Yin Jian, chief physician of the Department of Neurology of Beijing Hospital, said that "multiple" mainly refers to multiple lesions in space and multiple recurrence in time, requiring doctors to complete the diagnosis as early as possible through nuclear magnetic imaging and other examinations.
According to Yin Jian's clinical experience, a doctor needs at least 50 practical cases and 50-80 hours of systematic learning to master the ability to diagnose multiple sclerosis.
In Yin Jian's view, the cost of establishing a mature rare disease diagnosis and treatment team is mainly the cultivation of doctors, "the cultivation of people is the most expensive and time-consuming", which is also one of the reasons why "rare diseases are more rare than rare diseases."
Since the 1990s, the Department of Neurology of Beijing Hospital, under the leadership of the late neuroimmunology tutor Xu Xianhao, has established the first clinical research and treatment center for neuroimmune diseases in China, undertaking the first international multi-center clinical drug trial of multiple sclerosis in China, and trained the first group of doctors, masters and specialists in neuroimmunology and neurology in China. The result of the effort.
With the improvement of society's attention to rare diseases, the cooperation network of rare diseases diagnosis and treatment has been gradually established, and the multi-disciplinary joint (MDT) clinic has been opened.
According to the "2023 China Rare Disease Industry Trend Observation Report" (hereinafter referred to as the "Report") jointly released by the Pain Challenge Foundation and Sullivan Consulting, the average diagnosis time of rare disease patients has been shortened from 4 years to 4 weeks through the National Rare Disease Diagnosis and Treatment Collaboration Network.
"But there is a premise here, is in the medical resources are relatively concentrated in large cities." Guo Jinchuan, director of information research at the Beijing Pain Challenge Foundation, pointed out that in many second- and third-tier cities or smaller places, patients may still be more difficult to diagnose, patients in different places are common.
Yin Jian believes that the superior hospital has the responsibility and the need to train the ability of primary doctors to identify rare diseases and introduce the platform for referral. "But rare diseases can not be expected to be pushed out in all primary and county hospitals, which is almost impossible to complete in cost."
Yin Jian suggested that instead of paying attention to medical opportunities, it is better to pay attention to how to open up the national medical treatment system and medical insurance system.
Due to the differences in the overall level, reimbursement standards and price items of medical insurance in various places, it has been a major concern for patients with rare diseases.
"If necessary, we should give rare disease patients a certain inclination in policy and provide two-way referral facilities," he said, which is conducive to shortening the diagnosis cycle and facilitating patients to prescribe drugs locally.
From “no drug available ” to“ available ” to “affordable ”
According to the report, there are currently 7,000 known rare diseases in the world, only 5% of rare diseases have effective treatment programs, 10% of rare diseases have registered drugs in the United States FDA, and a large number of rare diseases are still facing the situation of no medicine at home and abroad.
"Diagnosed, but there is no way to treat, for patients, it is actually a more desperate situation." Guo Jinchuan pointed out that the country and localities have done a lot of exploration, together to promote the solution of rare disease patients access to drugs.
People with spinal muscular atrophy, like Bobo, understand this desperation, but they are waiting for more and more hope.
When he was diagnosed in the second year of the first year, Bobo was told by the doctor that "there is no cure".
The whole family has been avoiding this topic for a long time.
It wasn ’ t until 2019 that he felt for the first time that “the medicine was approaching itself. ”
That year, Noxinaseng sodium injection was approved for listing in China, becoming the first drug in China that can treat the disease, and the "sky price" of nearly 700,000 yuan / needle is still far away from the use of bobo medicine.
After the "soul bargain" of the national medical insurance negotiations in 2021, the price of the medical insurance payment was reduced to 33,000 yuan / needle, so that Bo Bo was "excited to say poor" and "only thanked".
Since the first medication on June 16, 2022, Bobo has completed five injections, and the turning function has been improved.
The 2022 edition of the National Medical Insurance Drug Catalogue, which was implemented on March 1, added a second SMA treatment drug, Risparam Oral Solution Powder, which is the world's first targeted mRNA oral small-molecule disease modification treatment drug for SMA, which can penetrate the blood-brain barrier and improve SMN protein in the central nervous system and peripheral tissues.
According to the research and development company Roche Pharmaceuticals China, the rispermum powder is convenient to store and transport at room temperature, and can be treated at home without hospitalization, invasive surgery or the use of other drugs at the same time.
Because of these characteristics, the industry also believes that SMA opens a new era of "oral" treatment.
"You give these children 10 yuan, maybe they can drink a few more bottles of milk, eat a few more eggs." This is at that time the SMA treatment drug insurance negotiations site impressive words.
After five quotations, this drug was finally included in the national medical insurance at the price of 3780 yuan / piece.
According to reports, a patient in Hunan who has already used the drug actually pays 1512 yuan after being reimbursed by medical insurance. SMA patients not only have medicine available, but also have medicine optional, which saves economic costs such as hospitalization and transportation.
Under the background of "basic insurance", medical insurance currently covers about 70% of the number of rare diseases drugs.
The first batch of rare diseases catalogues jointly released by the five departments in 2018 is a watershed of great changes in the field of rare diseases. "Before this, we must solve the problem of whether there are drugs or not to enter medical insurance, and now we can solve the problem of good function and adaptability." In Yin Jian 's view, there are drugs available and drugs can be selected to better help patients. Disciplines can develop.
From one person to a group of people.
Every year in February, Yang Mao Mao and Bo Bo are extremely busy.
Almost every day, the two friends have at least three events related to the International Rare Disease Day, and they want more people to treat rare diseases.
After diagnosis, many patients with rare diseases face a problem: how to better integrate into society.
After Bobo entered high school, his limbs gradually deteriorated, so he chose to drop out of school at home.
After nearly 10 years, he did not go far, on the one hand is worried about the inconvenience of action, on the other hand is depressed, "feel humiliated in a wheelchair."
In 2017, with the encouragement and help of his brother, he plucked up the courage to go to Shanghai to participate in the first offline patient exchange meeting organized by Meier SMA Care Center. He met many patients, and found a sense of belonging through similar but different experiences.
The following year, Bobo decided to join as a volunteer, "I suddenly found that I can help others, my life is very valuable."
After the diagnosis, Yang Mao also found a new direction in the rare disease group. After finishing treatment in 2014, she chose to leave school for one year, during which she joined the group of multiple sclerosis patients. In July 2014, she signed up for the third I CAN cooperation camp organized by Porcelain Doll Rare Disease Care Center. After multiple sclerosis drugs were included in the national medical insurance catalog, many patients encountered some obstacles in the last kilometer of the purchase and reimbursement of drugs.
At the same time, the Pain Challenge Foundation demyelination project team was formed, and she became the director of the project.
The organization of patients with rare diseases has gradually become an important force to help achieve medical treatment and medicine.
The Comprehensive Report on Rare Diseases in China (2021) shows that there are 130 rare disease patient organizations with fixed names and regular activities in China; 52 patient organizations have been registered with local civil affairs departments.
The development of patients' organizations is also inseparable from the support of all parties in society, especially the guidance of doctors. In May 2014, Yang Mao met Dr. Xu Xianhao when he first attended the gathering of patients with multiple sclerosis. He was then the chief physician of the neurology department of Beijing Hospital.
This pioneer in the field of neuroimmunology has been a supporter of the Yang Mao Charity Road and is willing to participate in the rare disease activities initiated by Yang Mao.
As early as 1996, when he first started teaching, his mentor, Xu Xianhao, began to think about the construction of public welfare, especially the communication and contact with patients. In 1997, he led his students to open an “800 hotline ”, and printed the phone number on a small card to each patient who went to the clinic to answer their questions about medication, clinic, and even psychological construction.
However, due to technical conditions, the hotline, which has been used for more than 10 years, did not achieve the communication effect expected by the team.
As the first group of clinicians in China who proposed the need for public welfare organizations to participate in the field of rare diseases, he realized that the strength of clinicians and hospitals alone could not change the whole situation. "Without the participation of the Association of Friends with Rare Diseases and the Association of Public Welfare Organizations, it is impossible to expand the consensus of society."
On December 23 last year, Yang Mao learned of Xu Xianhao's death through Yin Jian.
After the Spring Festival this year, Yang Mao returned to the Beijing Hospital for a second visit, passing the corridor where he last saw Xu Xianhao, and recalling the help and encouragement he had given him. "Now he is not only doing it himself, but also taking things he has not done together," Yang said.
Not long ago, Yin Jian participated in the "2023 demyelinating patients' New Year tea party", which reminded him of the first time 10 years ago, instructor Xu Xianhao took them to participate in the activities of the patients' organizations.
"We really did what he wanted to do, what he taught us, and that's probably the best memory of him."
(Intern reporter Yuan Jie reporter Wang Lin)
(Editor: Hao Mengjia, Sun Jing)
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The new national medical insurance catalogue, implemented March 1, 2023, added seven new drugs for rare diseases, including the oral solution of risparam for spinal muscular atrophy.

There is hope for improved treatments for patients such as Yang Mao.

Some families avoid discussing the prognosis after hearing from doctors that "there is no cure."

Yin Jian believes that having available medications and choices enables better patient care.

Patients now benefit from increased independence and improved participation in activities.

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Content: Health · Life
"Class B": Is medical resources enough? How to reduce the occurrence of severe diseases?
— — Authoritative experts explain the implementation of the "B" series two of the new coronavirus infection
December 27, 2022 08: 18 Source: People 's Daily Overseas Edition
The new coronavirus infection will be adjusted from "Class B" to "Class B" from January 8, 2023.
After policy adjustments, how can we effectively prevent a run on medical resources, and how can we reduce the incidence of serious illness and death?
The joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council invited relevant experts, Jiao Yahui, Director of the Medical Secretary of the National Health and Health Commission, and Guo Yanhong, Director of the Medical Emergency Department of the National Health and Health Commission, to interpret.
Q: After "Class B", how to effectively prevent the run of medical resources? How to reduce the occurrence of serious illness and death?
Jiao Yahui: Recently, the demand for diagnosis and treatment in the fever clinic has increased rapidly, and the contradiction between supply and demand is more prominent.
We have taken a number of measures to meet the needs of patients.
Overall, the growth rate of demand for general outpatient and inpatient medical services is relatively stable, and the utilization rate of the entire medical resources is in a safe and controllable range.
First, further expand medical resources and increase the supply of medical services.
We require hospitals above the second level and basic medical and health institutions with conditions to set up fever clinics or fever clinics, equipped with adequate medical forces.
As of December 15, more than 15,000 fever clinics have been opened in hospitals above level two, and more than 35,000 fever clinics or fever clinics have been set up in grass-roots medical and health institutions.
The utility model provides convenience for patients to prescribe medicines and further improves service efficiency.
Beijing, Shanghai, Anhui, Jiangsu, Shandong and other places have opened temporary fever clinics, which have greatly alleviated the problem of patients with fever.
All localities are upgrading designated hospitals and sub-designated hospitals according to requirements, expanding the capacity and transforming the critical resources of hospitals above the second level, and making preparations for the critical beds and convertible ICUs of third-level hospitals, equipment and training of medical personnel.
We have established a daily scheduling system to coordinate the preparation and use of medical resources throughout the country on a daily basis.
The second is to promote graded treatment.
In urban areas, medical associations are used as carriers, and county-level medical communities are used as carriers in rural areas to promote the implementation of COVID-19 infection and other medical services.
We should give full play to the positive role of the urban and rural three-level medical and health service network, and medical institutions should perform their duties and assume their responsibilities.
Primary medical institutions mainly implement the health monitoring of residents, especially the health monitoring and health management of key groups; secondary hospitals provide technical and manpower support for the grassroots to meet the needs of general diagnosis and treatment; and tertiary hospitals focus on meeting the needs of critically ill patients.
The third is to vigorously promote Internet medical services.
Through Internet medical treatment, according to the diagnosis and treatment plan and home treatment guidelines, the corresponding prescription for patients with COVID-19 symptoms is issued, and the corresponding drugs are provided through offline third-party distribution.
We require medical institutions to provide 24-hour online consultation, medication guidance, and appointment services.
In this way, the instantaneous peak of medical institutions' visits is reduced, the concentration of personnel is reduced, and the risk of cross-infection in offline visits is reduced.
The fourth is to strengthen the supply of drugs through multiple channels.
Relevant departments are strengthening the production, distribution and supply of COVID-19 related therapeutic drugs, so that more patients can obtain drugs through multiple channels such as retail pharmacies and Internet drug purchases, and reduce the pressure on medical institutions to diagnose and treat.
Fifth, grass-roots medical and health institutions for the elderly and other high-risk groups of health management and health monitoring, according to different health conditions of the hierarchical management, once found changes in health conditions, timely referral to medical institutions with the corresponding diagnostic and treatment capacity, to prevent the occurrence of severe diseases to the maximum.
Six is to strengthen vaccination, especially for the elderly, to reduce the risk of serious illness and death in the elderly after infection.
Q: What are the responsibilities of medical institutions after the policy adjustment?
Jiao Yahui: After "Class B", all kinds of medical institutions at all levels should accept and treat nucleic acid positive patients, and take classification and treatment according to the patient's diagnosis and treatment needs.
Medical institutions no longer triage patients with negative or positive nucleic acids, but seek medical treatment according to the needs of patients.
We put more emphasis on the active role of urban and rural three-level medical and health service networks, and require medical institutions to implement their own functional positioning.
Simple cases of COVID-19 asymptomatic infection, light cases, take home isolation or home self-care.
People with stable conditions, such as common cases, are referred to the sub-designated hospital for treatment.
Severe and severe cases of COVID-19 have been referred to designated hospitals for treatment.
Severe and critical cases of other diseases, as well as other patients who need to go to the hospital, regardless of whether the nucleic acid is positive, can go to the corresponding general hospital or specialized hospital for treatment.
We have deployed medical institutions to further adjust and optimize service processes.
In the outpatient area, nucleic acid positive diagnosis and treatment area and nucleic acid negative diagnosis and treatment area should be divided, and corresponding patients should be treated separately.
Emergency areas are required to be divided into normal treatment areas and buffer zones.
A relatively independent area (hospital area, building, disease area or ward) is set up in the inpatient department to receive and treat nucleic acid positive patients.
We require medical institutions to strictly implement the first consultation responsibility system and the emergency and critical care rescue system, and must not prevaricate or refuse patients with COVID-19 to seek medical treatment for any reason, so as to meet the needs of patients.
Q: What are the preparations for inpatient beds and critical beds and critical care equipment in China?
Jiao Yahui: In terms of bed resources, the total number of beds in hospitals above the second level in China is 5.616 million, and the utilization rate of beds has fluctuated around 60% recently.
The total number of beds in critical care medicine (including comprehensive ICU and specialized ICU) in the country has reached 150,000, about 106 beds per 100,000 people, including 112,000 beds in tertiary medical institutions.
From the perspective of use, the overall utilization rate of critical beds has fluctuated between 55% and 60% recently.
In addition, the national reserve of "convertible ICU" beds 70,000.
In terms of treatment equipment, there are 151,100 hemodialysis units in medical institutions at or above the second level, 19,700 bedside blood filters (CRRT), more than 2,300 extracorporeal membrane pulmonary oxygenators (ECMO), 11,600 invasive ventilators, 76,600 non-invasive ventilators, 971,200 monitors, and 38,200 high-flow oxygen inhalers.
We will continue to strengthen surveillance according to the development of the epidemic, adapt and expand corresponding resources according to local conditions, and ensure the medical needs of the people.
Q: What adjustments will be made to nucleic acid testing after "Class B"? Under what circumstances is it necessary to do nucleic acid testing?
Jiao Yahui: After the "B" tube, no regional nucleic acid testing will be carried out.
First of all, nucleic acid testing is a means used by medical institutions for diagnosis, and nucleic acid testing can be used when patients need to be clearly diagnosed.
Second, for nursing homes, welfare homes and other places where vulnerable people gather, nucleic acid testing is a means of health monitoring for staff and service objects.
Third, for large enterprises and other key places, nucleic acid testing can be used as a monitoring means.
Other personnel are fully willing to test the way, can choose nucleic acid test, or can carry out antigen test on their own.
The comprehensive group of the joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council has repeatedly stressed that all localities should maintain the number and scale of nucleic acid sampling points for a period of time to meet the demand for nucleic acid testing in key places, key institutions and key populations.
At the same time, in the process of nucleic acid testing, it is necessary to gradually reduce the mixed sampling and mixed testing, and more use the single sampling and single testing method to ensure that the nucleic acid test results are fed back in time.
Q: How do you classify patients and what kind of hospital do patients go to?
Jiao Yahui: We rely on a grid of medical associations, including urban medical groups and county-level medical communities, to build a hierarchical management and classification of COVID-19 infection diagnosis and treatment service network, and provide systematic and continuous hierarchical diagnosis and treatment services for COVID-19 infected people.
Medical institutions at all levels have their own functional positioning to meet the needs of patients: primary medical and health institutions mainly do a good job of crowd health monitoring and health management, especially for the elderly with basic diseases and other serious high-risk groups, medical institutions in the medical union body mainly provide technical support to improve the ability of primary doctors to identify, diagnose and treat high-risk groups, and at the same time do a good job of diagnosis and treatment of residents. In addition, it provides green channels for the elderly who are in grass-roots health management when their condition changes and needs to be treated.
For people infected with the new coronavirus, if they are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic infected with pure new coronavirus infection and have not merged with serious underlying diseases, they should be treated in isolation at home.
In general, from the current situation of epidemic prevention and control and the characteristics of the new coronavirus mutation, the vast majority of people infected with the new coronavirus do not need to go to a hospital, and they can purchase drugs through Internet medical treatment, retail pharmacies or online pharmacies, according to the guidelines for home isolation treatment.
Where necessary, guidance may be provided by community health service centers and township health centers.
For common cases, elderly patients with serious basic diseases but stable conditions can go to sub-designated hospitals; for severe and critical cases with COVID-19 as the main manifestation, centralized treatment in designated hospitals; for severe and critical cases with basic diseases, and for patients with other diseases, even if the nucleic acid or antigen are positive, they can also go to corresponding general hospitals or specialized hospitals for normal treatment according to the corresponding diagnosis and treatment needs.
Q: After "Class B", how does the urban and rural three-level treatment network play a role?
Jiao Yahui: The comprehensive group of the joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council has successively issued relevant work plans to guide localities to build a system of continuous, hierarchical management and classified treatment of COVID-19 infection. Medical needs of the people.
First, a number of grids are planned horizontally in prefecture-level cities and counties, and a medical confederation is formed in each grid to include all key groups such as the elderly in the scope of services.
Establish a referral mechanism between medical associations and sub-designated hospitals, designated hospitals and tertiary hospitals to achieve first-level and orderly referral of patients with symptoms related to novel coronavirus infection such as fever.
The second is to give full play to the role of urban quality medical resources, in accordance with the principle of zoning, based on the relationship between urban and rural hospitals in the province, establish and improve the urban secondary and above comprehensive hospitals and county-level hospitals.
Third, give full play to the active role of grass-roots medical and health institutions, strengthen health monitoring of special personnel such as elderly people with basic diseases in areas under their jurisdiction, especially in rural areas, and implement health management according to the health risk level.
It is necessary to give full play to the supporting role of hospitals above the secondary level in the medical union and improve the ability of grass-roots doctors to identify, diagnose and deal with high-risk groups.
The fourth is to clarify the grading diagnosis and treatment process and strengthen the classification and treatment.
If the situation is urgent, they can go directly to the medical institution with the corresponding diagnosis and treatment capacity.
If the patient does not have the conditions for referral, the hospital will be assisted by the counterpart through remote or expert group guidance and treatment.
Q: Are there sufficient stocks and supplies of relevant drugs in medical institutions?
Can you meet the patient ’ s medication needs?
Guo Yanhong: Drugs are indispensable for people infected with COVID-19, whether they are treated at home or in hospital.
Therefore, the preparation of medicines is crucial.
On the one hand, it is necessary to ensure that the supply of medicines is sufficient, and on the other hand, it is necessary to ensure equitable access to medicines, so that the
In order to ensure drug use in medical institutions, we have deployed drug preparation work in medical institutions, requiring medical institutions at and above the county level to dynamically prepare symptomatic treatment drugs for COVID-19 infection, anti-COVID-19 small molecule drugs, antipyretic and cough relieving according to the daily use of 3 months.
With the recent increase in the number of patients, the demand for medication has soared, and there is a shortage of some localities and some varieties.
Relevant departments are doing everything possible to promote the rapid expansion of enterprises' capacity to expand production, increase the supply of key drugs such as relevant Chinese medicine, symptomatic treatment drugs, and anti-COVID-19 small molecule drugs, and give priority to ensuring the demand of medical institutions, and ease the drug shortage in some medical institutions as soon as possible.
Rational medication and safe medication are also important.
"We call on medical institutions and medical personnel to step up publicity on drug use knowledge and strengthen guidance on drug use in various forms to ensure the safety of drug use for the masses," he said.
(Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, December 26, reporters Chen Fang, Dong Ruifeng)
(Editor: Qiao Yiqiong, Yang Di)
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Supermarkets and pharmacies in many parts of the United States have recently encountered varying degrees of "drug shortage", many over-the-counter drugs have been snapped up, and online sales channels are also seriously out of stock.
The reasons for this can be broadly divided into the sudden surge in demand, the unfavorable supply situation, and the "panic" caused by the expected future demand for drugs.
Sales of colds at U.S. retailers jumped 35% in November from a year earlier, and sales of throat sprays and throat lotion rose 56%. The recent increase in sales enthusiasm for these drugs is evident.
Even without relying on data, the empty shelves in supermarkets and pharmacies are enough to explain the problem.
In particular, those popular drugs that relieve the symptoms of children's colds are more difficult to find.
The epidemic itself has greatly increased the "need for drugs" as the primary cause.
The impact of COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), multiple epidemics have increased the demand for these drugs.
Especially for parents looking after sick children, it is unrealistic to ask them to be patient and wait for medication.
This has also forced these parents to "sweep" around, and the rush for drugs has naturally spread.
In addition to the increase in demand directly caused by the families of the epidemic, the news of the shortage of drugs has also prompted some families who have not been infected to start stocking up on additional drugs in advance.
In parts of the United States, sales of drugs related to coughs, colds, flu and nasal congestion have directly doubled in the past month.
In some areas where drug supply is limited, sales have also been pushed up by 30%.
In addition, from a supply point of view, the tight supply chain of production is also a factor that causes a "short-term drug shortage".
According to a recent study, 84% of the global supply of Acetaminophen (the main component of Tylenol) comes from China and India, with China accounting for nearly two-thirds of the total supply; Ipuprofen also comes from China, accounting for one-third of global production.
Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson, the parent company of Technol and Merrill Lynch, has pharmaceutical plants in cities such as Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou in China.
The capacity of these factories has been limited by China ’ s previous strict epidemic prevention policies.
Even though the control has been almost liberalized recently, the continuous positive performance of workers has also affected factory capacity to a certain extent.
In addition, transportation problems can also lead to drug shortages, and international shipping has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels.
But despite this, some pharmaceutical companies say that there is no problem with the supply of drugs, there is sufficient stock, but it only takes time to get to the major supermarkets and pharmacies.
When people make decisions, they are more or less unavoidably influenced by their surroundings.
The same is true in the case of drugs.
The recently criticized and controversial supermarket drug purchase behavior is actually the product driven by profit under the "drug demand" and "panic stocking".
Of course, it is not difficult to predict that with the change of time, the flu season slowly ends and the recovery of supply capacity, everything will gradually be on track.
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In economics, the “invisible hand ” refers to the fact that under the full operation of the price mechanism, the supply and demand of the market will reach the most appropriate balance, as if there are invisible hands guiding the general.
However, what people have seen in Taiwan in recent years is that the government's dirty hands frequently and aggressively manipulate prices, affecting supply and demand, and the market not only loses the freedom to operate, but also affects the supply, demand and quality of many goods.
Recently, the domestic egg price has risen and the supply has not continued, and many daily drugs have broken out of stock, and grass-roots pharmacies even have to "change drugs" to save themselves; the culprit is the government officials who are incompetent and love to intervene.
The egg shortage in Taiwan has lasted for more than a year.
The main reason is that the Council of Agriculture uses various methods to intervene in egg prices and wants to keep prices down, resulting in a lack of willingness to produce eggs and a reluctance to increase the amount of chicken raised.
Under such rigid market conditions, the supply of eggs is always insufficient, and the pressure of rising egg prices can not be alleviated, and the egg shortage problem of course continues to exist.
Chen Jizhong, chairman of the Council of Agriculture, said that he only promised to solve the "egg shortage" and did not say to solve the "egg price"; no one believes this statement, the facts prove that he has neither solved the egg shortage nor solved the egg price, and the egg market is still a lump of paste.
Eggs are ordinary people's daily food, whether the supply is insufficient or the price rises, will affect the people's sense of stability.
The formation of eggs from the shell to the laying of eggs, about 18 weeks.
Taiwan ’ s egg shortage, however, has lasted for 60 weeks, showing that excessive government intervention has caused egg farmers to lose their willingness to increase production, which has paralyzed market supply.
So far last year, the Russian-Ukrainian war has caused global grain prices to soar and feed prices to rise; the government does not let egg farmers reflect the cost, no matter how unreasonable repression.
Looking at it again, many commonly used Chinese and Western medicines have been out of stock recently, which is also related to government policy intervention; but compared to the egg shortage, the situation is more complicated and more worrying.
These drugs, from antibiotics, pain killers, fever reduction drugs, gastrointestinal drugs, soft stool, etc., a total of more than 100 kinds of drugs are commonly used in people's lives.
In the past six months, the situation has occurred that community pharmacies have repeatedly failed to call drugs, and many pharmacies can only respond with other pharmacies to meet the needs of patients.
Taiwan ’ s health insurance is known for its convenience and low price, but now there is a scene of “no medicine to buy ”. Who is violating the people ’ s right to health?
The Food and Drug Administration ’ s explanation for this “drug shortage ” is that many pharmaceutical companies have recently switched to production of Covid-19 related drugs, thus crowding out other drugs.
In fact, the global epidemic has come to an end, and this statement is outdated. The medical community believes that the more critical factor is that the government continues to reduce the price of health insurance drugs, and the proportion of drug costs in medical expenses should not be too high.
As a result of long-term repression, many drugs or pharmaceutical products are not produced by manufacturers because of their meager profits.
Worse, in addition to the lack of drugs, the quality of the drugs is constantly discounted, thus undermining the efficacy of the drugs.
After three years of fighting the epidemic, people have seen the Ministry of Health and Welfare fervently control the brand and quantity of vaccines, drugs, and reagents.
Of course, the free market is not a panacea for economic development. The government does not leave everything to the market to follow the flow, that is, to enjoy the benefits of the country and the people.
But on the other hand, such as the Tsai government's enthusiasm for regulation, intervention and subsidies, completely ignore the complex and interlaced factors in the market mechanism, and finally let the people suffer from price increases and shortage of goods, which is also an inevitable result.
Egg and medicine are just two recent examples. When it comes to oil and electricity, it is even more difficult to solve.
The Tsai government played a "visible hand", but the lack of goods and quality fell, but the people suffered. (Excerpt from the United Daily News editorial)
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Taiwan's reputation for accessible and affordable health insurance is now challenged by reports of drug shortages in pharmacies.

Claims about the pandemic being the primary cause of current shortages are no longer entirely accurate.

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Content: Policy and Inadequate Clinical Engagement Call on Government to Address Drug Deficiency and Enhance Patient Participation Rights
Health Care Network
The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated September 17 every year as World Patient Safety Day (referred to as Patient Safety Day), but patient participation in China is still insufficient from policy to clinical.
The Taiwan Alliance of Patients and Friends (TAPO) today (13th) invited patient groups and medical organizations to celebrate World Patient Safety Day, calling on the government to actively address the crisis of drug shortage and implement three important rights of patients in the medical and health care system: the right to know, the right to choose and the right to participate.
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The Taiwan Alliance of Patients and Friends (TAPO) held a press conference on World Patient Safety Day 2023 on the 13th, inviting the two major competent authorities of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Department of Health, the Association of Pharmacists, the Association of Nurses, the Medical Reform Foundation, and the Pharmaceutical Relief Foundation to jointly advocate for patient safety.
Call on the Ministry of Health and Welfare to actively respond to the drug shortage crisis
Wu Honglai, president of TAPO, pointed out that a stable supply of drugs is the basis of drug safety. At the beginning of this year, the shortage of drugs in China worsened, and the public may not be able to obtain the required drugs in community pharmacies.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare subsequently set up a drug supply notification processing center, but the problem of drug shortage at the grassroots level is still reported.
Now the global shortage of drugs continues to fever, the United States official also confirmed that the lack of drugs for several months, in addition to pain medication, even cancer drugs, antibiotics are in crisis.
Faced with such a challenge, Taiwan is also a small market, low health insurance cost of the country, I am afraid that it will be no small impact, imploring the Ministry of Health and Welfare to put forward a more positive response to the shortage of drugs, so that patients will not suffer from the interruption of treatment.
Chen Wen-wen, CEO of the Drug Harm Relief Foundation, believes that "drug safety" is an important part of maintaining patient safety. From years of experience and research, many serious drug hazards can be prevented beforehand. In all stages of treatment, such as receiving prescriptions, taking drugs, and tracking the effectiveness of treatment, you must have a deep understanding of the relevant information in order to escape the passive acceptance of instructions and actively restore health.
Enhance patient participation and influence
Yan Biwen, deputy executive director of the Cancer Hope Foundation, suggested that the current time point for patients to express their views is worth discussing again, and the expert meeting has completed the drug payment proposal before the expression, for discussion by the Joint Committee, and the views of patients are difficult to exert practical impact.
The government should refer to the practices of leading countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada to include the views of patients in the medical technology assessment, including subsequent expert meetings and meetings to decide on payment, and have formal representatives of patients to participate in the discussion and resolution.
This year, the Health Insurance Department visited the Cancer New Drug Fund of the United Kingdom and cooperated with NICE in the United Kingdom. It should also follow its patient-centered spirit, enhance the participation of patients and expand the scope and influence of collecting opinions.
“Healthcare is not just about treating diseases, it ’ s about caring for and protecting lives, ” said Su Yuyi, deputy general secretary of the All Union of Physicians. Since 105, doctors have been promoting shared decision-making. Instead, they discuss treatment options, risks and benefits with patients to help them make decisions that meet their values, preferences and goals.
Cai Li-chuan, deputy executive director of the Taiwan Cancer Fund, believes that at present, the participation of patients' representatives in the important decision-making meeting of health insurance is still insufficient. In the "joint drafting" meeting to decide whether drugs should be included in the health insurance payment, there are only two patients present, and informal representatives, there is still a gap in the exercise of the rights of the meeting. Members who have obtained seats by drawing lots, so that the voices of patients are easily ignored.
Competent authorities should plan a more stable and sound system for patient participation, and pay attention to the voice of patients.
Patient safety should be ensured by maintaining a stable ratio of care
According to a study by Linda Aiken, a professor at the School of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania, the probability of death of surgical patients within 30 days of admission increases by 7%.
Source: Healthnews.com https: / / www.healthnews.com.tw / readnews.php? id = 59248
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Healthcare professionals and organizations call on the government to address drug deficiencies and improve patient participation.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare is urged to respond actively to the drug shortage crisis.

At the beginning of 2023, drug shortages in China worsened, with many community pharmacies unable to supply essential medications.