The Director General of the World Health Organization is Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Taiwan faced significant medication shortages following an epidemic, with efforts by local companies like Singhui to fill the gaps in drug supply.

"Authorities propose addressing medication shortages by enhancing supply chain transparency and investment, making swift decisions, and investing in healthcare, which includes diversifying manufacturing locations and improving inventory management."

The healthcare worker shortage is predicted to occur by 2030, according to the World Health Organization.

China's national medical insurance directory includes 58 kinds of rare disease medications, covering about 67% of listed rare disease drugs, to make these medications more affordable for patients.

Medication shortages in Taiwan affected over 100 types of commonly used drugs, including antibiotics and pain killers.

The American Pharmacists Association reported a record shortage of all types of drugs in the U.S., with particular concern over the lack of sterile injectable drugs, including chemotherapy and emergency medicines.

The medication shortages in the U.S. include cancer chemotherapy drugs and emergency medicines, which are sterile injectable drugs, prompting concern from the American Pharmacists Association.

There is a shortage of paracetamol in Ireland due to increased cases of Covid-19 and the winter flu.

Medications such as methotrexate, 5-fluorouracil, fludarabine, and hydrocortisone were found to be in short supply, in addition to carboplatin and cisplatin.

Carboplatin and cisplatin were the chemotherapy medications in short supply in US cancer centers, with 93% and 70% of treatment centers reporting shortages, respectively.

Medications in short supply, apart from antibiotics, include pain relievers, tuberculosis medications, and skin infection treatments.

The Director General of the World Health Organization is Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Title:

Content: World Health Organization releases list of essential medicines for multiple sclerosis, cancer and heart
Sunday ، 30 July 2023 02: 00 PM
Director General of Global Health
I wrote Hope Allam.
Leave a comment and read the comments of the readers.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently published updated new versions of its Model Lists of Essential Medicines (EML) and Essential Medicines for Children (EMLc), which include important new medicines for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, cancer, infectious diseases and cardiovascular diseases.
These treatments can have a very significant impact on global public health without jeopardizing the health budgets of low- and middle-income countries.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, said: “For more than 40 years, countries around the world have relied on the WHO List of Essential Medicines as the ultimate evidence-based evidence as the most important medicines to achieve the greatest impact on health, rising prices and supply chain disruptions mean that all countries now face increasing problems in ensuring consistent and equitable access to many quality assured essential medicines. Faithful.
For the 2023 update, 85 applications, including more than 100 medicines and formulations, were considered by the WHO Expert Committee on the Selection and Use of Essential Medicines. The recommended changes bring the total number of essential medicines and essential medicines for children to 502 and 361 respectively.
Multiple sclerosis drugs "MS"
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease that weakens the nervous system and affects nearly 2.8 million people worldwide, so far, no drugs to treat it have been included in essential drugs, in 2023, 3 drugs that can delay or slow its progression - cladribine and glatiramer acetateo rituximab - were added to essential drugs to fill an important gap due to the large global burden of MS The inclusion of these drugs as treatment options for MS with different management methods, different prices (with availability of generic drugs and bioavailable alternatives) and various recommended uses, aims to facilitate improved access to treatment for people living with MS worldwide, the decision to support the use of off-label rituximab is supported by strong evidence of its efficacy and safety for this indicator.
The list is an important tool for achieving universal health coverage, providing guidance to governments, health facilities and those purchasing medicines that are of the best value in terms of benefits to individuals and communities.
“Due to the evidence and increased affordability of rituximab, including the availability of pre-qualified biostimulants, it has been prioritized over the alternatives on the label as an essential drug for the treatment of recurrent multiple sclerosis and progressive relapse. ”
Cardiovascular Drugs
Fixed dose combinations of multiple drugs (commonly called "multipill") for the prevention of cardiovascular disease, particularly cholesterol-lowering agents with one or more blood pressure lowering agents with and without acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) to essential drugs for the first time.
Infectious diseases.
New medicines listed for infectious diseases include:
Ceftuluzan + tazobactam, a group of "back up" antibiotics effective against multi-drug resistant bacteria, including hard-to-treat infections caused by carbapenem resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, priumanide for the treatment of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis or rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis, Ravidasvir (used with sofosbuvir) for the treatment of hepatitis virus infection Chronic epidemiological in adults, monoclonal antibodies to Ebola virus disease.
Cancer Drugs
Two new cancer treatments have been added: doxorubicin linked to Kaposi ’ s sarcoma and pegfilgrastim to stimulate white blood cell production and reduce the toxic effect of certain cancer drugs on bone marrow, the indications for many pediatric cancer drugs already included in pediatric essential drugs have been extended to include new types of pediatric cancers (macrolymphoma, Langerhans cells, lymphoma In addition, those not recommended for inclusion include several patented, high-priced cancer drugs due to concerns about affordability and feasibility in low-resource settings, some of which were evaluated and rejected during previous committee meetings.
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Taiwan faced significant medication shortages following an epidemic, with efforts by local companies like Singhui to fill the gaps in drug supply.

Title:

Content: The spillover effect of drug shortage shows that Singhui indicates an increase in demand for drugs
The problem of lack of drugs continues to burn, local pharmaceutical company Singhui (1734-TW) said that at present, most of the indicated drugs are in short supply, but during the lack of drugs feel the spillover effect, including pain drugs, oral paste drugs, etc., the demand has increased significantly.
After the epidemic, Taiwan faced the biggest shortage of drugs, and Singhui pointed out that with the establishment of a drug supply platform by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, there is no shortage of many generic drugs, but some special instructions are still lacking, and Singhui is filling the gap.
Heng Hui further said that due to the shortage of special instructions, clinics and pharmacists will provide Heng Fai's medicines instead.
In addition to the increase in demand for pharmaceutical products, Sinphar ’ s health products performance has grown synchronously this year, and with the increase in visibility of star products, it will drive the performance in the second half of the year.
The company estimates that this year's full-year revenue is expected to exceed 3 billion yuan for the first time in history.
In addition, the subsidiary Xingguo (4192-TW) will start to adjust the operating structure, initially planning to agent anti-tumor drugs, has been locked in some drugs, expect to start to contribute to revenue this year.
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"Authorities propose addressing medication shortages by enhancing supply chain transparency and investment, making swift decisions, and investing in healthcare, which includes diversifying manufacturing locations and improving inventory management."

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. ”

The healthcare worker shortage is predicted to occur by 2030, according to the World Health Organization.

Title:

Content: How natural language processing can help relieve the healthcare worker shortage

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum.

Author: Tashfeen Suleman, CEO, CloudMedx

  • The WHO predicts a shortage of 18 million health workers by 2030.
  • A new survey shows the “biggest pain points” affecting these workers: increasing use of tech can add even more layers of documentation.
  • Healthcare workers want to spend more time caring directly for patients, and less on paperwork. Natural language processing (NLP) is a game changer. It can take over a lot of this work, freeing healthcare personnel to spend more time on direct care.

Across the world, fears are rising about a lack of nurses, doctors, and healthcare technicians in the coming years. The World Health Organization predicts a shortage of 18 million health workers by 2030.

There was already a shortage before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the last few years have exacerbated the problem. Experiencing burnout, exhaustion and mistreatment, many in the sector, especially nurses, have quit their jobs. But there are also other reasons for the shortage as well. For example, in the United States, many doctors are reaching retirement age just as the population of elderly people is expanding – meaning more people will need healthcare from fewer providers.

In addition to attracting young people to careers in medicine, other solutions are needed. One of these is to put new, emerging technologies to good use. But this is a very difficult challenge in healthcare. Unfortunately, the sector has a history of bringing in technologies that are meant to help but end up making things more complicated.

Tech as relief and burden

A new global survey of healthcare workers shows how concerned they are about this. A large majority (70%) say they believe digital health technology will enable positive transformation. But virtually the same number (69%) say these technologies will present a “challenging burden.”

I’ve seen this problem in action for years. The most prominent example involves electronic health records (EHRs). These were meant to improve care and make things much more efficient. And while they have brought benefits, they have also increased the amount of time healthcare staff have to spend dealing with documentation.

One study found that time spent on direct patient care dropped by more than 8 percent at one center. Another found that nurses perceive a high workload due to all the documentation. In a survey published in March, U.S. physicians were polled about the “documentation burden” presented by EHRs. Majorities said they’re spending too much time on documentation, and that it’s reducing the time they have for patient care. And one-third said they’re spending two hours or more completing documentation outside of work hours each day.

It shouldn’t be this way. Technologies can be designed to handle more administrative tasks so that healthcare workers spend more time in direct patient care. The more we relieve the documentation burden, the more patients can get the attention they need.

The potential of NLP

Natural language processing is a technology focused on helping machines process information as humans do. Several companies have been working to apply this to the world of medicine.

When doctors and nurses need relevant information from a patient’s healthcare records, they should not have to go digging through long lists of information collected over the years. Instead, technology should be able to read through all the text and automatically pull up relevant information for a patient’s treatment. One study published in 2020 found that specifically designed algorithms could do so with 96% accuracy.

Similarly, healthcare providers should be able to speak into their phones or other devices and have the information they provide automatically entered into healthcare records through NLP. When a patient comes into an emergency department complaining of certain symptoms, NLP can help pull up relevant information from the patient’s records – for example, a family history that could show the patient has an elevated risk for a heart attack. So doctors and nurses would see that information automatically pop up when they open the patient’s file.

Of course, there is always a possibility of machine errors, just as there are possibilities of human errors. It’s important to have healthcare personnel look at the information and doublecheck it. But there’s no need for them to spend extra time finding the information in the first place – just as they should not have to scroll through long forms with lots of text fields in order to input information. Technology should do all that for them.

There are also other ways to use NLP. For example, this technology has been built into AskSophie, a tool in which people can describe symptoms they’re having in order to learn about patients with similar ailments and what’s causing them.

Serving the needs of healthcare workers through technology

NLP is just one tool that can help relieve burdens on doctors and nurses and strengthen global healthcare for the future. Artificial intelligence can help deliver a more holistic approach to health by showing government and healthcare leaders the social determinants of health that must be addressed in different areas. Algorithms can help predict patient flow so hospitals have a better sense of how much staff they’ll need at any moment. And companies are developing new ways to monitor patients in need from afar. The possibilities are endless.

The key is to incorporate the needs of healthcare workers in the development of new technologies. The more people are freed to spend time caring for patients and avoiding burdens of documentation, the more people will join and stay in the healthcare field. This will make the global health outlook only stronger.

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China's national medical insurance directory includes 58 kinds of rare disease medications, covering about 67% of listed rare disease drugs, to make these medications more affordable for patients.

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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Medication shortages in Taiwan affected over 100 types of commonly used drugs, including antibiotics and pain killers.

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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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The American Pharmacists Association reported a record shortage of all types of drugs in the U.S., with particular concern over the lack of sterile injectable drugs, including chemotherapy and emergency medicines.

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Content: American Pharmacists Association Announces Record Shortages of All Types of Medicines in U.S.
World News
Copy Link https: / / en.rt.com / xcc5
The American Pharmacists Association has expressed concern about the record shortage of all types of drugs in the United States, calling on politicians to take action.
A statement posted on the association ’ s website said: “In the first half of this year, 323 active drug shortages were recorded.
It is a record higher than the previous record of 320 in 2014.
“At the federal level, significant work needs to be done to eliminate the root causes of drug shortages. ”
The statement added that particular concern was raised by the lack of sterile injectable drugs, including chemotherapy drugs for cancer and emergency medicines stored in hospital treatment rooms.
Another serious problem is the ongoing lack of treatment methods for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in the country.
Source: Novosti
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The medication shortages in the U.S. include cancer chemotherapy drugs and emergency medicines, which are sterile injectable drugs, prompting concern from the American Pharmacists Association.

There is a shortage of paracetamol in Ireland due to increased cases of Covid-19 and the winter flu.

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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Medications such as methotrexate, 5-fluorouracil, fludarabine, and hydrocortisone were found to be in short supply, in addition to carboplatin and cisplatin.

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Content: Advertisement

U.S. cancer centers report ongoing shortage of chemotherapy drugs

By Cara Murez, HealthDay News
In all, 72% of cancer centers surveyed reported a continued shortage of carboplatin. And 59% were still seeing a shortage of cisplatin. Photo by klbz/Pixabay

U.S. cancer centers continue to have shortages of commonly used chemotherapy drugs, a new survey shows, though the medications are not as scarce as they were last June.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), a nonprofit alliance of leading cancer centers, surveyed its network in September.

In all, 72% of cancer centers surveyed reported a continued shortage of carboplatin. And 59% were still seeing a shortage of cisplatin.

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These two platinum-based generic chemotherapy medications are recommended for treating many different cancers. Overall, 86% of centers surveyed said they were short on at least one type of anti-cancer drug. A survey in June showed that 93% of cancer centers had a shortage of carboplatin, and 70% of cisplatin.

"Everyone with cancer should have access to the best possible treatment according to the latest evidence and expert consensus guidelines," said Dr. Robert Carlson, chief executive officer for NCCN.

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"Drug shortages aren't new, but the widespread impact makes this one particularly alarming. It is extremely concerning that this situation continues despite significant attention and effort over the past few months. We need enduring solutions in order to safeguard people with cancer and address any disparities in care," Carlson said in a NCCN news release. Twenty-nine of the NCCN's member institutions responded to the September survey. They include leading academic centers across the United States. The findings may not reflect additional challenges that smaller community practices serving rural and marginalized patients are experiencing. The centers surveyed were using strict waste management strategies, so nearly all were still able to provide the medications to all patients who needed them. Other medications in short supply included methotrexate, with 66% of centers reporting a shortage; 5-fluorouracil, with 55% falling short; fludarabine at 45%; and hydrocortisone at 41%.

"These drug shortages are the result of decades of systemic challenges," said Alyssa Schatz, NCCN's senior director of policy and advocacy. "We recognize that comprehensive solutions take time."

Schatz said the network appreciates those who have put forth proposals to improve investment in generics.

"At the same time, we have to acknowledge that the cancer drug shortage has been ongoing for months, which is unacceptable for anyone impacted by cancer today," Schatz said. "These new survey results remind us that we are still in an ongoing crisis and must respond with appropriate urgency."

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The organization is continuing to advocate for more supplies.

CNN recently reported that two other drugs used for cancer, vinblastine and dacarbazine, went into shortage in September.

"These drugs are particularly used to treat patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Hodgkin's lymphoma is probably one of the most curable types of cancers out there," Dr. Doug Hawkins of the Children's Oncology Group, a research organization, told CNN.

"The problem is never-ending. It is horrible," he added. "I mean, to say to a patient, 'we know how to treat your child, but we can't get the drugs,' and this is America, and it's 2023 -- it's crazy."

More information

The White House has more on strengthening the supply chain for cancer drugs.

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Carboplatin and cisplatin were the chemotherapy medications in short supply in US cancer centers, with 93% and 70% of treatment centers reporting shortages, respectively.

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Content: |

FTC, US Health Dept Launch Probe Over Chemo Drug Shortages

The investigation is targeting so-called middlemen that broker deals between hospitals and pharmaceutical companies.

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Each year, roughly 2 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer, and for some, getting the proper treatment has become a very serious waiting game.

This week, the Federal Trade Commission and the US Department of Health jointly launched a probe seeking information on how middlemen — group purchasing organizations (GPOs) and drug wholesalers — may be contributing to a lack of chemotherapies and other generic drugs.

The Cost of Cheap Drugs

While various cancer treatments have gone in and out of short supply for years, the problem became particularly acute in 2023. In May, a survey from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network found that 93% of treatment centers reported they were short on carboplatin and 70% reported they were short on cisplatin. Those two drugs are used together and are prescribed to 10% to 20% of cancer patients. Those shortage rates dropped in the fall, but still sat at uncomfortably high levels, with many patients experiencing longer wait times between chemo sessions.

Access to raw materials for making drugs and an increase in patients play a part in the shortages, but the FTC and the Health Department suspect the middlemen buying and selling the medications might be at the heart of the issue:

  • Hospital transactions for medications are controlled almost entirely by three GPOs — Vizient, Premier, and HealthTrust — that purchase drugs on behalf of health centers, and three wholesalers — AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson — that supply 90% of the pharmaceuticals, The Wall Street Journal reported.
  • Doctors, drugmakers, and patient advocate groups have argued that because the three GPOs represent so many hospitals, they’re able to win extremely low prices from wholesalers. But the prices may be so low that some drugmakers slash production or stop making the drugs entirely if they feel they can no longer turn a profit.

“For years Americans have faced acute shortages of critical drugs, from chemotherapy to antibiotics, endangering patients,” said FTC Chair Lina Khan. “Our inquiry requests information on the factors driving these shortages and scrutinizes the practices of opaque drug middlemen.”

A Growing Concern: A short supply of cancer treatments isn’t a great development, especially with new evidence that the disease is on the rise among younger generations. Most cancer patients are 65 and older, but one study published in JAMA last summer found cancer rates among people 50 and younger are going up, mostly driven by women and people in their 30s.

Medications in short supply, apart from antibiotics, include pain relievers, tuberculosis medications, and skin infection treatments.

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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.