Insulin demand surged 5→50–100 prescriptions in Russia, causing temporary shortages.

Russian Ministry of Health listed Amoxiclav as a shortage drug in 2023.

Novo Nordisk Ozempic supply halted in Russia 2022, reducing sales.

US cancer centers report carboplatin shortage 72% of surveyed sites.

US cancer centers report cisplatin shortage 59% of surveyed sites.

US cancer centers report methotrexate shortage 66% of surveyed sites.

US cancer centers report 5-fluorouracil shortage 55% of surveyed sites.

US cancer centers report fludarabine shortage 45% of surveyed sites.

US cancer centers report hydrocortisone shortage 41% of surveyed sites.

US Q1 2024 had 323 drugs in severe shortage, highest since 2014.

US shortages of ADHD medications persist across the country.

US shortages of chemotherapy drugs cause treatment delays.

EU faced shortages of penicillin, amoxicillin, and paracetamol Dec 2022-Jan 2023.

EU manufacturing relies heavily on China and India for active pharmaceutical ingredients.

France reported 4,925 drug shortages in 2023, up from 3,761 in 2022.

France patients reported 44% experienced drug shortages in 2024.

Egypt suffers shortages of heart, bone, cancer, joint, epilepsy, hypertension, thyroid, diabetes meds.

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FDA issued guidance requiring manufacturers to notify 6 months before stopping production.

WHO reports penicillin‑class drug shortages in 28 of 35 countries.

Insulin demand surged 5→50–100 prescriptions in Russia, causing temporary shortages.

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Content: The expert clarified the fate of foreign drugs - RIA Novosti, 19.03.2022
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The expert clarified the fate of foreign drugs
Expert Bespalov: disruptions in the supply of foreign drugs caused by high demand
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MOSCOW, March 19 — RIA Novosti.
There is no reason to fear the loss of foreign drugs from pharmacies, and they are unlikely to arise, but certain interruptions in supplies are present.
They are mainly associated with high demand, which will subside in a few weeks, told the Agency “Prime ” development Director of RNC Pharma Nikolai Bespalov.
According to him, no stocks can compensate for a multiple increase in demand.
“If earlier five people came to the pharmacy a day for insulin, and now 50-100, it is clear that the distribution chain is not ready for such volumes, ” Bespalov said.
It is clear that some patients may face a shortage of drugs, the expert suggested.
The Ministry of health warned about the calls of fraudsters about the shortage of drugs
However, the hype cannot last forever - in the next two or three weeks it should go down.
People will stock up on life-saving drugs and the supply chain will work more clearly.
In the warehouses of manufacturers and sellers, as a rule, there are stocks of goods for about six months, but they can be “washed out ” from sale quite quickly, the interlocutor of the agency believes.
Perhaps for this it is necessary to introduce restrictions on the release of drugs, as it is already done with sugar and other products, concluded Bespalov.
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Content: MOSCOW, 19 Mar — PRIME.
Foreign drugs will not disappear from the sale - such prerequisites currently do not exist and, most likely, they will not arise.
At the same time, now there are certain interruptions in supplies, including those associated with high demand, Nikolai Bespalov, Director for Development of RNC Pharma, tells the Prime Agency.
The expert explains that if the demand increases by a factor for some products, then no stocks in the distribution chain will be able to close this hype.
“If earlier five people came to the pharmacy a day for insulin, and now 50-100, it is clear that the distribution chain is not ready for such volumes.
It is also clear that individuals who apply for this product may face the fact that it simply will not be at a particular moment in time, ” he said.
Of course, both distributors and pharmacies "react to this situation, but their capabilities in this regard are limited."
Manufacturers also can not always quickly increase the volume of shipments - this is a logistically difficult task, but in addition, the simultaneous discharge of the entire volume of goods increases the risk of shortages in the future, explains Bespalov.
However, the excitement will not last indefinitely.
“In the next 2-3 weeks, the situation in terms of excitement will fade – people will make stocks for critical positions for life support and maintenance of health in relation to chronic diseases – and the support system will work in a more rhythmic way.
It is unlikely that the situation will be as calm as in pre-crisis times, but deliveries are likely to normalize, ” the expert assured.
In his opinion, the current situation still can not be called a deficit - the goods have both distributors and manufacturers' warehouses.
Under normal conditions, at different stages of the distribution network, up to a six-month need is stored, but in a crisis, these stocks of drugs can be used up relatively quickly.
Therefore, the main task is to prevent the complete washing out of such drugs from warehouses so that they are enough for everyone who really needs them, the expert believes.
"Now there are certain restrictions on the release of certain food products, for example, sugar, perhaps something similar will need to be done in relation to drugs," Bespalov believes.
At the same time, for patients suffering from chronic diseases, a sufficient amount is a reserve, calculated for the period from 3 to 6 months, it allows you to solve problems with possible interruptions in supplies.
“Now it is necessary to minimize the hype, reduce panic — especially, there are no real prerequisites for stopping the supply of pharmaceutical products — none of the significant suppliers does not talk about the possibility of suspending supplies as sanctions.
And if the goods will have manufacturers, it means that it will be in the commodity distribution chain, and the situation with interruptions will be solved in the working mode, "concludes Nikolai Bespalov.

Russian Ministry of Health listed Amoxiclav as a shortage drug in 2023.

Title:

Content: Rating of pharmaceutical companies with a significant decrease in sales in pharmacies
06.12.2023
10: 28 AM
The market share in terms of sales of medicines in pharmacies decreased for 26 companies included in the TOP100.
The top ten companies with the maximum decrease in sales in January-September 2023 occupied about 7% of the volume in rubles, in January-September last year they accounted for more than 9%.
“FV ” studied the performance of 100 leading companies, which occupy almost 90% of the market in value terms.
Photo by Freepik
In the first nine months of 2023, pharmacies sold 3.7 billion packets.
drugs worth 1 trillion rubles.
The dynamics of the market in money amounted to 5.8%, natural consumption grew by 0.6%, FV calculated according to AlphaRM.
During this period, drugs produced by 631 corporations were present on the pharmacy market.
Which companies have reduced sales
Most of the rest among the analyzed corporations * decreased sales from Novo Nordisk.
In relation to January-September 2022, sales of drugs of the Danish manufacturer decreased by 52.9% - from 5.8 billion rubles to 2.7 billion rubles.
If last year in this period the company occupied the 40th place in the rating of corporations, this year it fell to the 85th place.
This is due to the termination of deliveries to Russia of the leading company in the pharmacy portfolio of the Ozempik brand (semaglutid), the company announced this in November 2022.
Deliveries of “Ozempik ” will continue at least until December 2023, reported the press service of Roszdravnadzor.
In 2023, two permits were issued for the introduction of the drug into civil circulation, the last in April.
According to the results of nine months of last year, Ozempik (a solution for subcutaneous administration) held a share of 31.9% in rubles in the company ’ s retail portfolio.
In the same period of 2023 - only 4%.
Now the first among the company's drugs is another antidiabetic drug - "Rebelsasa".
It is the same semaglutide only in tablet form.
Novo Nordisk also notified Roszdravnadzor about the termination of supplies of Rebelsas from 2024, so in a year the company ’ s share in the retail market may decrease again.
Novo Nordisk also significantly reduced the share of sales of the solution for subcutaneous injection of Saxend (liraglutide) - from 28.8% in the company's portfolio in January-September 2022 to 17.5% for the same period in 2023.
The drug is indicated for use in adults and adolescents from 12 years old to correct body weight in obesity.
This year, some domestic companies registered their generic drugs semaglutide and liraglutide.
The second largest decrease in sales is the Russian company Firn M (-47.7%).
Among the company's drugs, Grippferon dominates, he held more than 87% of value sales in the company's portfolio in 2022, in the same period of this year - 73.7%.
The Swiss company Swixx BioPharma, which supplies medicines to Russia of departed Western pharmaceutical manufacturers, also has a change of the leading brand.
Swixx BioPharma sold the remains of the drug for the treatment of erectile dysfunction "Cialis" (tadalafil), which the manufacturer - Eli Lilly - decided not to bring to the Russian market.
In January-September last year, the share of the drug was 30.9% of sales in the portfolio of Swixx BioPharma, in the same period of 2023 only 7.9%.
The share of the departed medicine was taken by domestic generics of tadalafil.
Now among the drugs Swixx BioPharma in the first place brand "Donormil" (doxylamine) - 28.9% of sales of other drugs.
The Donormil brand was previously represented in Russia by BMS, which also sold the Russian business to Swixx BioPharma.
This sleeping pill also has generics from other manufacturers on the market, but Swixx BioPharma is still the leader among them.
Leading brands in the ranking were also changed by Otisipharm, GSK and Viatris.
The decrease in sales of the antiviral agent Arbidol by 62.9% contributed to the decrease in the company ’ s share in the pharmacy market from 4 to 3%.
Arbidol lost first place to Pentalgin (19.7% share in the company ’ s portfolio).
Viatris, one of the main drugs, Viagra (sildenafil), lost 68% of sales - its share in the company's assortment decreased from 13.8% to 4.8%.
TOP10 corporations * to reduce pharmacy sales in January-September 2023
CORPORATION
Sales volume, RUB bn
Decrease in sales,%
Leading brand (name / share in the manufacturer ’ s portfolio in value terms,%)
Ranking
January – September 2022
January – September 2023
January – September 2022
January – September 2023
1
Novo Nordisk
5,8
2.7
-52.9
Ozempik (31,9)
Rebelsas (45.3)
2
Firn M
4.6
2,4
-47.7
Grippferon (87,4)
Grippferon (73,7)
3
Swixx BioPharma
4.4
3.0
-33.0
Cialis (30,9)
Donormil (28,9)
4
Otisipharm
39.8
32.9
-17.3
Arbidol (32,1)
Pentalgin (19.7)
5
Sopharma
3.8
3.3
-14.0
Carsil (32)
Carsil (34.7)
6
INFAMED K
5.0
4,3
-12.6
Miramistin (91,6)
Miramistin (87,2)
7
Organon
8.4
7.4
-12.1
Nazonex (28.3)
Nazonex (30)
8
Grindeks
3,5
3,1
-10.5
Mildronate (72)
Mildronate (72,5)
9
GSK
7,0
6.4
-8.0
Duodart (12,6)
Avamis (15.6)
10
Viatris
8.3
7.7
-7.6
Viagra (13,8)
Dona (13.7)
Source: AlphaRM, “PV ” calculations
The first three drugs whose sales in pharmacies fell included the antiviral drug Arbidol, Pradaxa for antithrombotic therapy and the antibiotic Amoxiclav.
Maximum decrease in Arbidol (-62.9%).
All these drugs were used to treat coronavirus at the peak of the pandemic and increased market share, now their sales have returned to their previous level.
The brand "Amoxiclav" also periodically fell into the list of scarce drugs.
TOP10 brands * to reduce pharmacy sales in January-September 2023
Brand
Sales volume, RUB bn
Decrease in sales,%
The share of the drug in the pharmacy market in value terms,%
Ranking
January – September 2022
January – September 2023
January – September 2022
January – September 2023
1
Arbidol
12.8
4,7
-62.9
1,3
0.5
2
Pradaxa
2,4
1.9
-21.9
0.3
0.2
3
Amoxiclav
2.6
2,2
-16.8
0.3
0.2
4
Ingavirin
6.2
5,2
-16.8
0.6
0.5
5
Miramistin
4,5
3.8
-16.7
0.5
0.4
6
Tantum
2.5
2,2
-14.0
0.3
0.2
7
Voltaren
3,1
2.8
-10.2
0.3
0.3
8
Lorista
4,1
3,7
-10.0
0.4
0.4
9
Mildronate
2.5
2,3
-9.9
0.3
0.2
10
Citramon p
2.5
2,2
-9.8
0.3
0.2
Source: AlphaRM, “PV ” calculations
What companies have grown
Among the corporations that distinguished themselves by the growth of sales, mainly manufacturers of generics.
The top three in terms of market growth in pharmacies included YuzhPharm (sales growth + 89%), Medisorb (+ 54.1%) and Alkaloid (+ 50.4%).
For the company "YuzhPharm" the main driver of growth was the vasoconstrictor nasal agent "Morelor xylo" (xylometazoline) - the share among the company's drugs is 17.3%.
Sales of the drug have more than tripled in money since January-September last year.
Medisorb has a large number of branded generics, which have become noticeably more popular over the past year.
For example, sales of drugs "Citramon p medisorb" and "Atorvastatin medisorb" increased more than twice in rubles.
Good growth rates are also in the antibiotic Panzef (cefixime) produced by Alkaloid.
In January-September 2023, Panzef has a record share in the company's assortment - 76.3%.
According to the results of nine months of 2022, Panzef for the first time surpassed the cefixime produced by Astellas under the name Suprax.
Last year, a shortage of some antibacterial drugs was reported, doctors were forced to reorient themselves to drugs available in pharmacies.
Most likely at this point and there was a change in the leading brands among antibiotics.
TOP10 corporations * on the growth of pharmacy sales in January-September 2023
CORPORATION
Sales volume, RUB bn
Sales growth,%
Leading brand (name / share in the manufacturer ’ s portfolio in value terms,%)
Ranking
January – September 2022
January – September 2023
January – September 2022
January – September 2023
1
YuzhPharm
1.1
2,2
89.0
Morelor xylo (10.2)
Morelor xylo (17,3)
2
Medisorb
1.5
2,3
54.1
Citramon P Medisorb (10.8)
Citramon P Medisorb (18.7)
3
Alkaloid
2,0
2,9
50.4
Panzef (70,5)
Panzef (76,3)
4
Pharmasynthesis
1,4
2.1
48.5
Nomides (66.9)
Nomides (54.6)
5
Vifor Pharma
1,3
2,0
47.8
Ferinjekt (50.2)
Ferinjekt (48,8)
6
Bright way Group
3.0
4.4
45.4
Ibuprofen Welpharm (11,6)
Ibuprofen Welpharm (11,4)
7
Pranapharm
2.5
3,6
43.8
Losartan (18,8)
Losartan (13.6)
8
Evalar
2,2
3,1
41.8
Ginkoum (18,6)
Nephrosten (14,6)
9
ABBA
2,0
2,9
41.0
Ecofuril (20,4)
Ecofuril (23,6)
10
Rompharm Company
4.6
6.2
36.4
Dorzopt (28.4%)
Dorzopt (21.5%)
Source: AlphaRM, “PV ” calculations
The leader among the fast-growing brands in the first nine months of 2023 is Uperio (valsartan + sacubitrile) produced by Novartis (sales growth + 70.9% in rubles).
Apply the drug for the treatment of chronic heart failure.
The drug is produced in St. Petersburg at the Novartis Neva plant.
The brand "Forsiga" (dapagliflozin) from AstraZeneca is in second place in terms of growth in pharmacies (+ 69%).
Forsiga is used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, as well as for patients with heart failure and chronic kidney disease.
In the last two years, nine drugs with INN dapagliflozin of domestic and foreign origin have been registered in the Russian State Register.
However, none of them have entered the market yet, since the drug is protected by patents of AstraZeneca.
Patent protection of the drug was supposed to end in 2023, but was extended until 2028.
TOP10 brands * on the growth of pharmacy sales in January-September 2023
Brand
Sales volume, RUB bn
Sales growth,%
The share of the drug in the pharmacy market in value terms,%
Ranking
January – September 2022
January – September 2023
January – September 2022
January – September 2023
1
Juperio
1,2
2.1
70.9
0.1
0.2
2
Forsiga
2.1
3,5
69.0
0.2
0.3
3
Panzef
1,4
2,2
62.7
0.1
0.2
4
Sorbifer durules
1.5
2,2
49.1
0.2
0.2
5
Angidak
1,4
1.9
36.5
0.1
0.2
6
Triplixam
2,0
2.7
35.0
0.2
0.3
7
Xefokam
1.5
2,0
34.6
0.2
0.2
8
Nimesulide
1,4
1.9
32.2
0.1
0.2
9
Bisoprolol-vertex
1,4
1.9
31.8
0.1
0.2
10
Reduxin
1,8
2,3
31.6
0.2
0.2
Source: AlphaRM, “PV ” calculations
* Sample: TOP100 brands by volume of pharmacy sales in value terms.
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Novo Nordisk Ozempic supply halted in Russia 2022, reducing sales.

US cancer centers report carboplatin shortage 72% of surveyed sites.

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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.

Copyright © 2023 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Latest Headlines

US cancer centers report cisplatin shortage 59% of surveyed sites.

US cancer centers report methotrexate shortage 66% of surveyed sites.

US cancer centers report 5-fluorouracil shortage 55% of surveyed sites.

US cancer centers report fludarabine shortage 45% of surveyed sites.

US cancer centers report hydrocortisone shortage 41% of surveyed sites.

US Q1 2024 had 323 drugs in severe shortage, highest since 2014.

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.
An Unexpected Catastrophe in the World ’ s Largest Country: The Complete Story of U.S. Drug Shortages
The deficit is at a record level.
According to data from the American Society of Health System Pharmacists and the University of Utah Drug Information Service, organizations began tracking drug shortages for the first time in 2001. Steady since 2021 – now reaching a record high of 323 drugs in the first three months of 2024.
Paul Abramowitz, CEO of the American Society of Health System Pharmacists, wrote in a blog post on Thursday: “It ’ s been a long time to end drug shortages, ” and wrote:“ All drug classes are vulnerable to shortages, some of the most worrisome shortages include sterile injectable generic drugs, including cancer chemotherapy drugs and emergency drugs stored in hospital vans and procedural areas. It is dangerous for doctors and patients. ”
In addition to the 32 chemotherapy drugs that are deficient, the five categories of drugs with the greatest deficiency include central nervous system stimulants, antimicrobials, hormonal agents, and intravenous fluids. [1] The Drug Deficiency Database maintained by the American Society of Health System Pharmacists and the University of Utah is based on voluntary reports from practitioners, patients, and others that have been confirmed by manufacturers. The U.S. drug is in short supply, because it captures broader effects on service providers and patients.
The crisis has lasted a year and a half.
More than half of the treatment shortages have lasted for more than two years, according to an analysis by health consultancy IQVIA, and the average shortage affects at least half a million patients, many of them elderly, according to the US Office of Health and Human Services under the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, which shared its analysis with Congress in May.
Growing demand can play a role in drug shortages, as with the recent shortage of weight-loss drugs, but often manufacturing and quality problems, such as supply chain gaps and downtime, are the root cause. And varied.
But the American Society of Health System Pharmacists has “serious concerns ” about parts of this proposal, especially financial sanctions imposed on hospitals that lack the resources to comply with the recommendations, Abramowitz wrote:“ We all know that managing shortages is not enough and is not a sustainable solution to the worsening crisis, and there is still a lot of work to be done at the federal level to fix the root causes of drug shortages. ”
Why Shortage Occurs
Shortages can be caused by high demand, as with the recent shortage of weight-loss drugs, but this is not usually the main problem.
The FDA also blames manufacturing and quality problems, supply chain gaps, and downtime, and Dr. Emily Tucker, a drug shortage expert and an assistant professor of industrial engineering at Clemson University, says that when there is an indication of shortages, large health systems often also proactively place large orders, adding to the system ’ s stress.
“I don ’ t blame anyone.
“When I talk to all the stakeholders – whether it ’ s wholesalers, manufacturers, or the government – everyone wants this problem to end, ” she said.
Lack of transparency
Dr. Julie Grallo, chief medical officer and executive vice president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, told the House Committee earlier that the shortage puts providers in a terrible position: “The drug shortage crisis is forcing providers to make impossible choices, and it is also hindering the development of new drugs. Health drugs are purchased only on a price basis, and manufacturers do not have to disclose the source of their acquisition of the ingredients.
The shortage of this generic chemical drug came due to the closure of one factory in India that manufactures the active ingredient after a surprise FDA inspection found “significant quality issues, ” says Jarallo:“ We didn ’ t know, and there was no transparency regarding the company ’ s supply of the majority of active pharmaceutical ingredients to all manufacturers across the board.
Knowing this in advance, we could have responded much faster, ” Dr. Steven Schundlemeyer, director of the PRIME Institute of the University of Minnesota School of Pharmacy, which focuses on economic and management issues, told the committee that as with defense contractors in the United States, New Zealand requires manufacturers to disclose their suppliers, and that information is required.
Easily accessible in the database.
Related Topics

Title:

Content: Meitu
The first quarter of the United States serious drug shortage 323 drugs urgent cancer patients also have to be diverted and rationed!
CHU HENG NETWORK NEWS CENTER 2024-04-16 10: 42
According to the latest data from the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the Utah Center for Drug Information Services, a total of 323 drugs in the United States were in severe shortages in the first quarter of this year, surpassing the record of 320 in 2014.
Among the drugs affected are the widely used diabetes drugs Ozempic and Mounjaro, the allergy treatment drug adrenaline, the common antibiotic amoxicillin for children, chemotherapy drugs and injections commonly used in hospitals in intensive care.
ASHP CEO Paul Abramowitz said in a statement that almost all categories of drugs are facing shortages, with non-patented sterile injectable drugs, including cancer chemotherapy drugs, and emergency drugs stored in hospital emergency vans and operating areas, the shortage of such drugs is the most worrying.
According to the American Cancer Society, chemotherapy is one of the top five drugs most affected by the shortage, which threatens to have a devastating impact on patients, and some hospitals and clinics say doctors have had to divert patients to ration their medications because of a shortage of some chemotherapy drugs.
In addition, ASHP noted that the continued nationwide shortage of ADHD drugs is “a problem for clinicians and patients. ”
The shortage of popular drugs is even more acute, with Mounjaro, the diabetes drug known as the “slimming pill ”, already in dire straits.
In response, Lilly said that the “unprecedented surge in demand ” for Mounjaro and its similar drug Zepbound has led to a shortage in the market, which the company is struggling to cope with.
Lilly is ramping up investments to boost production at Mounjaro and Zepbound in the second half of 2024.
The company said it expects intermittent supply disruptions in the near term due to unprecedented demand.
How to cure the drug shortage
The last major “drug shortage ” in U.S. history occurred in 2014, and it has only been alleviated in the years since.
Since 2021, the drug shortage situation seems to be increasing, and scholars in the field of medical health and economics in the United States believe that the reason for most drug shortages in the United States is the fragmentation of the drug supply chain.
The White House this month proposed spending between $3.26 billion and $5.11 billion over the next decade to help address the nation ’ s drug shortage.
The bill requires approval and funding from the U.S. Congress.
U.S. researchers and policymakers believe that a complete solution to the “drug shortage ” may require changes to the business model of the U.S. pharmaceutical industry, including measures to increase the price of generic drugs to attract more drug manufacturers.
Policymakers recommend giving the FDA more power to access more information about drug shortages and impending shortages.
Currently, the FDA relies primarily on phone calls to manufacturers asking if they can increase their supply to understand the situation.
The American Society of Health System Pharmacists said it is working with the federal government to advise the government on measures to address the drug shortage, including that Congress should require manufacturers to be more transparent on any supply chain issues and encourage more diversity in supply chains.
According to Abramowitz, “The federal government still has a lot of work to do to fundamentally address drug shortages, and the American Society of Health System Pharmacists will continue to engage regularly with policymakers to guide them in drafting and passing new legislation to address drug shortages and continue to advocate vigorously for proven solutions on behalf of our members. ”

US shortages of ADHD medications persist across the country.

US shortages of chemotherapy drugs cause treatment delays.

EU faced shortages of penicillin, amoxicillin, and paracetamol Dec 2022-Jan 2023.

Title:

Content: Brussels is planning for EU countries to share vital medicines and take emergency measures to avoid a repeat of shortages that hit the bloc a year ago.

The European Commission is proposing a “voluntary solidarity mechanism” requested by France and Germany and an early warning system flagging when drugs become scarce, according to draft proposals seen by the Financial Times. If insufficient donors come forward, EU capitals will be allowed to tap into an EU-funded stockpile set up during the Covid-19 pandemic and take other emergency measures.

In December and January western countries suffered a shortage of antibiotics including penicillin and amoxicillin, and painkillers such as paracetamol, especially in medicines used by children.

Among the emergency measures floated to prevent a repeat of that crisis, the commission could allow the extension of a drug’s shelf life, fast track approvals of alternative suppliers and support production increases.

Brussels will also encourage joint procurement of drugs from 2024 and medicine swaps with countries in the southern hemisphere, where peak winter demand happens at a different time.

The commission will draw up guidance for national stockpiles in 2024 and establish a Critical Medicines Alliance bringing governments, industry and civil society together. The commission declined to comment.

Three-quarters of countries reported a worsening of drug shortages in 2022, according to an industry survey. EU manufacturing is heavily reliant on imported active pharmaceutical ingredients from China and India.

Rising demand and disruption to supply chains have been compounded by inflation hitting the production of generic drugs, which typically sell at much lower prices than branded versions.

France has been actively encouraging the reshoring of basic medicine supply, with a giant paracetamol factory set to open in the country next year.

The EU is discussing whether to provide more funding for domestic production.

The commission’s proposal is scheduled to be approved on October 25 and could still change. Initially non-binding, it could lead to a Critical Medicines Act, with Brussels drawing up a list of vital medicines by year-end.

The commission also urges member states and the European parliament to approve its overhaul of pharmaceutical legislation, put forward in April. It includes plans to take control of drug production in the event of a public health emergency, a requirement for stockholders to inform Brussels of supply levels and for manufacturers to give early warnings of shortages.

An analysis by the European Medicines Agency and the commission found that unless there is unexpected demand the EU should avoid an antibiotics shortage this year.

“The information available today suggests that — if demand in the coming winter season does not differ significantly from the demand of recent years — the supply to the EU of key antibiotics seems to generally match demand,” the analysis said.

“However, this depends strongly on the compliance of industry with their legal obligations to ensure supply and their ability to adapt.”

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2023. All rights reserved.
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EU manufacturing relies heavily on China and India for active pharmaceutical ingredients.

France reported 4,925 drug shortages in 2023, up from 3,761 in 2022.

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Content: French health groups put forward proposals to limit the damage of worsening drug shortages

Medicines such as cough syrup, lozenges and ointment are seen on a table in an apartment in Berlin, Tuesday, December 20, 2022. Copyright Stephanie Pilick/dpa via AP
Copyright Stephanie Pilick/dpa via AP
By Lauren Chadwick
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Pharmaceutical companies’ lack of transparency leads to rising drug prices and less control over public resources, the group of health organisations say.

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A group of French organisations have called for more transparency from pharmaceutical companies as drug shortages increase.

In a joint report, 14 civil society organisations outlined their recommendations to solve a “situation that has only worsened” since 2018.

The French medicines regulator signalled 4,925 drug shortages in 2023, compared to 3,761 in 2022 and 2,160 in 2021.

A 2024 survey from France Assos Santé, which represents patients, found that 44 per cent of people in France said they had faced a drug shortage this year.

One of the pharmacy unions in France has even planned a strike at the end of the month over drug shortages and what they say is worsening access to care.

Each health organisation contributed an article with recommendations for dealing with the drug shortages.

The League Against Cancer urged complete transparency on drug shortages and potential substitutions for health professionals.

They also called for monitoring of medicine stocks and their location in the country to guarantee equal access.

The organisation found in a survey published in February that 78 per cent of health professionals in oncology had been faced with a drug shortage.

Drug shortages or delays have led to anxiety among cancer patients, lost time, and worsening symptoms, the organisation said.

France Assos Santé, meanwhile, wrote that an urgent response should not be to support “the industrial sector which bears serious responsibilities” for abandoning the production of less profitable drugs, relocating drug production, and keeping insufficient medicine stocks.

They would like any cost increases justified by production costs or the risk of withdrawing a drug from the market due to it being unprofitable. They called for cost evaluations to be made public.

Their concerns also range from the use of public money to bring drug production to Europe to new government plans to prevent shortages.

Some changes at the EU level criticised

Last year, the European Commission announced several measures to reform the pharmaceutical industry and address critical drug shortages.

The European Parliament went on to adopt a position on pharmaceutical reform last month, that included “incentives for innovation” and an effort to limit overuse of antibiotics.

The non-profit organisation Prescrire, which focuses on information about medicine, wrote in a chapter they contributed to the report that while some of the European Commission’s measures were welcome, others were concerning.

One of the many measures they rejected included the Commission’s proposal to reduce the number of days of scientific evaluation of drugs from 210 to 180, which they said was necessary time rather than an “administrative obstacle”.

While the NGO welcomed some measures such as government drug shortage prevention plans, it said the Commission should allow EU states to require pharmaceutical companies to have safety stocks of medicine and sanction those that do not respect them.

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French consumer organisation UFC-Que Choisir and the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) said that they had hoped MEPs would shorten the length of time for “data protection” to allow generic medicines to be marketed more quickly.

Instead, MEPs approved shortening the period to 7.5 years, “which is almost the same duration as the current 8 years [yet] within the framework of the text adopted by Parliament, companies can gain additional months of protection under certain conditions to reach a total of 8.5 years,” UFC-Que Choisir said.

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France patients reported 44% experienced drug shortages in 2024.

Egypt suffers shortages of heart, bone, cancer, joint, epilepsy, hypertension, thyroid, diabetes meds.

Title:

Content: Chairman of Wafd Party
Dr. Abdul Sindh Yamama
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Dr. Ayman is an accountant.
Editor-in-Chief
I'm sorry.
My grandfather, Zainuddin.
Chairman of Wafd Party
Dr. Abdul Sindh Yamama
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Dr. Ayman is an accountant.
Editor-in-Chief
I'm sorry.
My grandfather, Zainuddin.
Smuggling burns drug stability
Libya and Sudan are the main destinations.
And the profits are huge.
Deficiencies include stents, heart medications, diabetes, pressure, and tumors.
It is an undeniable fact that the Egyptian pharmaceutical market is experiencing a crisis of shortage of some vital items on which citizens depend mainly, and at all levels, which exacerbated the suffering of patients in public hospitals affiliated to the government, which receive subsidized medicines at low prices, so that the so-called alternative class becomes a citizen ’ s refuge, to get the necessary dose of medicine, to alleviate his health suffering or save his life.
At a time when it is assumed that more than 90% of medicines are manufactured in Egypt, citizens' complaints about the lack of many medicines and medical supplies in the markets and hospitals are escalating to the extent that deputies submitted a number of requests for briefing through the deputies, stressing that the crisis lies in the raw material itself and imported in dollars.
And the pressure.
Thyroid and sugar.
The main reasons lie in the importation of 95% of raw materials in addition to the presence of “smuggling brokers ” whose mission is to smuggle Egyptian medicine to neighboring conflict countries, especially Libya and Sudan, in order to sell it abroad at exorbitant prices, and to reap huge profits, according to some pharmacists and specialists. In addition to Sudan ’ s import of Egyptian medicine in hard currency, especially with the licenses of Egyptian medicine compared to others and the stopping of factories in neighboring countries because of their conflicts.
According to Ali Abdullah, head of the Egyptian Society for Pharmaceutical Studies (an NGO), the lack of medicines and their disappearance from the local market is a real crisis in case of smuggling, such as insulin, tumors, anesthesia, surgical supplies, serums and vaccines.
The shortage of hard currency in Egypt is also one of the reasons for the disappearance of medicines.
Mahfouz Ramzi, head of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Committee at the Cairo Pharmacists Syndicate, pointed out that there are organized gangs that smuggle medicine to countries of conflicts and wars, explaining that “most operations are conducted through land border roads, and the Egyptian Drug Authority is responsible for inspecting companies, factories and any pharmaceutical institution, to ensure that medicines produced in Egypt are in the normal sequence until they reach pharmacies. ”“ Some smuggling professionals deal with drug stores, where they buy large quantities of medicines, take advantage of discounts on them, and then smuggle them abroad to take advantage of the price difference. ”
The Executive Director of the Egyptian Center for the Right to Medicine, Mahmoud Fouad, confirmed that "the drug stores have turned into an illegal business and a back gate for drug smuggling and expired drug trade, as most of them are not licensed and sold without invoices, and are not subject to the umbrella of the Ministry of Health, in addition to the lack of health standards required to practice the profession of pharmacy, after some stores are run from apartments away from the eyes of the Ministry of the control bodies. 90% of its owners are not pharmacists. ”
“Are these stores registered with the Ministry of Health?
And are they subject to pharmaceutical inspection or from the Drug Control and Research Authority? ”, stressing that most of the small pharmacies in the villages “do not have the ability to buy medicine from distribution companies, which makes them resort to buying from stores after agreeing on specific facilities and periods for payment, ” pointing out that“ popular medicines in Egypt are the most smuggled abroad. ” From 250 pounds ($8 at the official exchange rate).
According to Dr. Ashraf Hatem, Chairman of the Health Committee in Parliament, it is a social responsibility, and priorities must be set, and all parties sitting together may help to solve the crisis, in light of the apparent shortage of a number of medical drugs, and his demand that the Drug Authority publish periodically and daily alternatives to the missing medicines in the absence of the original medicine. In addition, the pharmaceutical industry continues to operate and produce.
For all this and for the continuation of the crisis of drug shortage it was necessary to search and investigate the causes and solutions!
During the meeting of Gamal al-Laith, Chairman of the Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industry at the Federation of Industries, in the presence of Minister of Health Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, the Governor of the Central Bank, Hassan Abdullah, and others, he sent letters of reassurance to the Egyptian people about the existence of a solution to pump the needs of the market of foreign currency to end the shortage of medicines. Or psychologically for the patient.
He said: « The medicines that suffer from the shortage, some of them are sugar drugs and other drugs tumors and drugs of the glands and heart, drugs related to chronic diseases, which is now being secured, and we as factories work with a stock of raw materials enough for 4-6 months, and this stock reached only weeks, and therefore we are now in the stage of risk, and therefore the government began to move ».
He added that the health sector is supported by the provision of foreign exchange resources to provide all needs according to a plan to deal with such circumstances, stressing the importance of full coordination between the unified purchasing authority and the pharmaceutical industry room as well as pharmaceutical companies to face any problems related to the shortage of supplies, medicines and medical consumables.
As well as a detailed presentation on the commitments implemented and not implemented in the period from June 2023 to January 2024, with regard to the provision of (medicines, medical supplies, laboratory supplies, devices, raw materials and packing materials), and the Minister was briefed on the results of the mechanisms established with the Central Bank of Egypt to pay the obligations in foreign currency to meet the demands of the health care sector.
In the end, the official spokesman stressed that the shortage of drugs does not exceed 15% and the drugs directed to tumors are at the forefront of the shortcomings because of their close link to the currency and what faces the supply chains, otherwise all drugs and within them are compatible... The complaints are due in their entirety to the lack of knowledge of citizens with the trade names of medicines.
In addition to the above, a severe shortage of anesthetic drugs, dental pening drugs, nephrology and recovery drugs, which will cause a real disaster that threatens the conduct of surgical operations for patients, and thus increase the waiting lists in hospitals and the occurrence of complications for patients that may result in loss of their lives.
The head of the medicine division of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Ali Ouf, revealed that a request will be submitted to the Egyptian Drug Authority early next week to move the prices of 1,500 items in light of what he described as developments in the situation and rising costs.
He pointed out that « the need to raise the wages of workers in the pharmaceutical sector to compensate them for the cost of living and therefore must raise salaries so that they can live in the current conditions and the sector will bear the increase of salaries at the expense of cost and raise the minimum insurance ».
On the shortage of medicines, Amin al-Dabraki, one of the dealers in the pharmaceutical market, said that the main reason for the crisis is the lack of active substances imported by companies.
This is mainly due to the dollar crisis, in addition to the withdrawal of some financial companies from the Egyptian pharmaceutical market.
On the inability of the Ministry of Health to move the prices of medicines with the movement of the exchange rate, he said that the solutions are the intervention of the state by providing a fixed customs dollar for pharmaceutical companies, while moving the prices of medicines, in addition to starting factories to produce active substances inside Egypt.

Egypt's shortages caused by raw‑material import issues and lack of foreign currency.

FDA issued guidance requiring manufacturers to notify 6 months before stopping production.

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

WHO reports penicillin‑class drug shortages in 28 of 35 countries.

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.


Insulin demand surged 5→50–100 prescriptions in Russia, causing temporary shortages.

Russian Ministry of Health listed Amoxiclav as a shortage drug in 2023.

Novo Nordisk Ozempic supply halted in Russia 2022, reducing sales.

US cancer centers report carboplatin shortage 72% of surveyed sites.

US cancer centers report cisplatin shortage 59% of surveyed sites.

US cancer centers report methotrexate shortage 66% of surveyed sites.

US cancer centers report 5-fluorouracil shortage 55% of surveyed sites.

US cancer centers report fludarabine shortage 45% of surveyed sites.

US cancer centers report hydrocortisone shortage 41% of surveyed sites.

US Q1 2024 had 323 drugs in severe shortage, highest since 2014.

US shortages of ADHD medications persist across the country.

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EU faced shortages of penicillin, amoxicillin, and paracetamol Dec 2022-Jan 2023.

EU manufacturing relies heavily on China and India for active pharmaceutical ingredients.

France reported 4,925 drug shortages in 2023, up from 3,761 in 2022.

France patients reported 44% experienced drug shortages in 2024.

Egypt suffers shortages of heart, bone, cancer, joint, epilepsy, hypertension, thyroid, diabetes meds.

Egypt's shortages caused by raw‑material import issues and lack of foreign currency.

FDA issued guidance requiring manufacturers to notify 6 months before stopping production.

WHO reports penicillin‑class drug shortages in 28 of 35 countries.

Insulin demand surged 5→50–100 prescriptions in Russia, causing temporary shortages.

Title:

Content: The expert clarified the fate of foreign drugs - RIA Novosti, 19.03.2022
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The expert clarified the fate of foreign drugs
Expert Bespalov: disruptions in the supply of foreign drugs caused by high demand
Selling drugs at the pharmacy.
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MOSCOW, March 19 — RIA Novosti.
There is no reason to fear the loss of foreign drugs from pharmacies, and they are unlikely to arise, but certain interruptions in supplies are present.
They are mainly associated with high demand, which will subside in a few weeks, told the Agency “Prime ” development Director of RNC Pharma Nikolai Bespalov.
According to him, no stocks can compensate for a multiple increase in demand.
“If earlier five people came to the pharmacy a day for insulin, and now 50-100, it is clear that the distribution chain is not ready for such volumes, ” Bespalov said.
It is clear that some patients may face a shortage of drugs, the expert suggested.
The Ministry of health warned about the calls of fraudsters about the shortage of drugs
However, the hype cannot last forever - in the next two or three weeks it should go down.
People will stock up on life-saving drugs and the supply chain will work more clearly.
In the warehouses of manufacturers and sellers, as a rule, there are stocks of goods for about six months, but they can be “washed out ” from sale quite quickly, the interlocutor of the agency believes.
Perhaps for this it is necessary to introduce restrictions on the release of drugs, as it is already done with sugar and other products, concluded Bespalov.
What will happen to vital medicines in Russia
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Content: MOSCOW, 19 Mar — PRIME.
Foreign drugs will not disappear from the sale - such prerequisites currently do not exist and, most likely, they will not arise.
At the same time, now there are certain interruptions in supplies, including those associated with high demand, Nikolai Bespalov, Director for Development of RNC Pharma, tells the Prime Agency.
The expert explains that if the demand increases by a factor for some products, then no stocks in the distribution chain will be able to close this hype.
“If earlier five people came to the pharmacy a day for insulin, and now 50-100, it is clear that the distribution chain is not ready for such volumes.
It is also clear that individuals who apply for this product may face the fact that it simply will not be at a particular moment in time, ” he said.
Of course, both distributors and pharmacies "react to this situation, but their capabilities in this regard are limited."
Manufacturers also can not always quickly increase the volume of shipments - this is a logistically difficult task, but in addition, the simultaneous discharge of the entire volume of goods increases the risk of shortages in the future, explains Bespalov.
However, the excitement will not last indefinitely.
“In the next 2-3 weeks, the situation in terms of excitement will fade – people will make stocks for critical positions for life support and maintenance of health in relation to chronic diseases – and the support system will work in a more rhythmic way.
It is unlikely that the situation will be as calm as in pre-crisis times, but deliveries are likely to normalize, ” the expert assured.
In his opinion, the current situation still can not be called a deficit - the goods have both distributors and manufacturers' warehouses.
Under normal conditions, at different stages of the distribution network, up to a six-month need is stored, but in a crisis, these stocks of drugs can be used up relatively quickly.
Therefore, the main task is to prevent the complete washing out of such drugs from warehouses so that they are enough for everyone who really needs them, the expert believes.
"Now there are certain restrictions on the release of certain food products, for example, sugar, perhaps something similar will need to be done in relation to drugs," Bespalov believes.
At the same time, for patients suffering from chronic diseases, a sufficient amount is a reserve, calculated for the period from 3 to 6 months, it allows you to solve problems with possible interruptions in supplies.
“Now it is necessary to minimize the hype, reduce panic — especially, there are no real prerequisites for stopping the supply of pharmaceutical products — none of the significant suppliers does not talk about the possibility of suspending supplies as sanctions.
And if the goods will have manufacturers, it means that it will be in the commodity distribution chain, and the situation with interruptions will be solved in the working mode, "concludes Nikolai Bespalov.

Russian Ministry of Health listed Amoxiclav as a shortage drug in 2023.

Title:

Content: Rating of pharmaceutical companies with a significant decrease in sales in pharmacies
06.12.2023
10: 28 AM
The market share in terms of sales of medicines in pharmacies decreased for 26 companies included in the TOP100.
The top ten companies with the maximum decrease in sales in January-September 2023 occupied about 7% of the volume in rubles, in January-September last year they accounted for more than 9%.
“FV ” studied the performance of 100 leading companies, which occupy almost 90% of the market in value terms.
Photo by Freepik
In the first nine months of 2023, pharmacies sold 3.7 billion packets.
drugs worth 1 trillion rubles.
The dynamics of the market in money amounted to 5.8%, natural consumption grew by 0.6%, FV calculated according to AlphaRM.
During this period, drugs produced by 631 corporations were present on the pharmacy market.
Which companies have reduced sales
Most of the rest among the analyzed corporations * decreased sales from Novo Nordisk.
In relation to January-September 2022, sales of drugs of the Danish manufacturer decreased by 52.9% - from 5.8 billion rubles to 2.7 billion rubles.
If last year in this period the company occupied the 40th place in the rating of corporations, this year it fell to the 85th place.
This is due to the termination of deliveries to Russia of the leading company in the pharmacy portfolio of the Ozempik brand (semaglutid), the company announced this in November 2022.
Deliveries of “Ozempik ” will continue at least until December 2023, reported the press service of Roszdravnadzor.
In 2023, two permits were issued for the introduction of the drug into civil circulation, the last in April.
According to the results of nine months of last year, Ozempik (a solution for subcutaneous administration) held a share of 31.9% in rubles in the company ’ s retail portfolio.
In the same period of 2023 - only 4%.
Now the first among the company's drugs is another antidiabetic drug - "Rebelsasa".
It is the same semaglutide only in tablet form.
Novo Nordisk also notified Roszdravnadzor about the termination of supplies of Rebelsas from 2024, so in a year the company ’ s share in the retail market may decrease again.
Novo Nordisk also significantly reduced the share of sales of the solution for subcutaneous injection of Saxend (liraglutide) - from 28.8% in the company's portfolio in January-September 2022 to 17.5% for the same period in 2023.
The drug is indicated for use in adults and adolescents from 12 years old to correct body weight in obesity.
This year, some domestic companies registered their generic drugs semaglutide and liraglutide.
The second largest decrease in sales is the Russian company Firn M (-47.7%).
Among the company's drugs, Grippferon dominates, he held more than 87% of value sales in the company's portfolio in 2022, in the same period of this year - 73.7%.
The Swiss company Swixx BioPharma, which supplies medicines to Russia of departed Western pharmaceutical manufacturers, also has a change of the leading brand.
Swixx BioPharma sold the remains of the drug for the treatment of erectile dysfunction "Cialis" (tadalafil), which the manufacturer - Eli Lilly - decided not to bring to the Russian market.
In January-September last year, the share of the drug was 30.9% of sales in the portfolio of Swixx BioPharma, in the same period of 2023 only 7.9%.
The share of the departed medicine was taken by domestic generics of tadalafil.
Now among the drugs Swixx BioPharma in the first place brand "Donormil" (doxylamine) - 28.9% of sales of other drugs.
The Donormil brand was previously represented in Russia by BMS, which also sold the Russian business to Swixx BioPharma.
This sleeping pill also has generics from other manufacturers on the market, but Swixx BioPharma is still the leader among them.
Leading brands in the ranking were also changed by Otisipharm, GSK and Viatris.
The decrease in sales of the antiviral agent Arbidol by 62.9% contributed to the decrease in the company ’ s share in the pharmacy market from 4 to 3%.
Arbidol lost first place to Pentalgin (19.7% share in the company ’ s portfolio).
Viatris, one of the main drugs, Viagra (sildenafil), lost 68% of sales - its share in the company's assortment decreased from 13.8% to 4.8%.
TOP10 corporations * to reduce pharmacy sales in January-September 2023
CORPORATION
Sales volume, RUB bn
Decrease in sales,%
Leading brand (name / share in the manufacturer ’ s portfolio in value terms,%)
Ranking
January – September 2022
January – September 2023
January – September 2022
January – September 2023
1
Novo Nordisk
5,8
2.7
-52.9
Ozempik (31,9)
Rebelsas (45.3)
2
Firn M
4.6
2,4
-47.7
Grippferon (87,4)
Grippferon (73,7)
3
Swixx BioPharma
4.4
3.0
-33.0
Cialis (30,9)
Donormil (28,9)
4
Otisipharm
39.8
32.9
-17.3
Arbidol (32,1)
Pentalgin (19.7)
5
Sopharma
3.8
3.3
-14.0
Carsil (32)
Carsil (34.7)
6
INFAMED K
5.0
4,3
-12.6
Miramistin (91,6)
Miramistin (87,2)
7
Organon
8.4
7.4
-12.1
Nazonex (28.3)
Nazonex (30)
8
Grindeks
3,5
3,1
-10.5
Mildronate (72)
Mildronate (72,5)
9
GSK
7,0
6.4
-8.0
Duodart (12,6)
Avamis (15.6)
10
Viatris
8.3
7.7
-7.6
Viagra (13,8)
Dona (13.7)
Source: AlphaRM, “PV ” calculations
The first three drugs whose sales in pharmacies fell included the antiviral drug Arbidol, Pradaxa for antithrombotic therapy and the antibiotic Amoxiclav.
Maximum decrease in Arbidol (-62.9%).
All these drugs were used to treat coronavirus at the peak of the pandemic and increased market share, now their sales have returned to their previous level.
The brand "Amoxiclav" also periodically fell into the list of scarce drugs.
TOP10 brands * to reduce pharmacy sales in January-September 2023
Brand
Sales volume, RUB bn
Decrease in sales,%
The share of the drug in the pharmacy market in value terms,%
Ranking
January – September 2022
January – September 2023
January – September 2022
January – September 2023
1
Arbidol
12.8
4,7
-62.9
1,3
0.5
2
Pradaxa
2,4
1.9
-21.9
0.3
0.2
3
Amoxiclav
2.6
2,2
-16.8
0.3
0.2
4
Ingavirin
6.2
5,2
-16.8
0.6
0.5
5
Miramistin
4,5
3.8
-16.7
0.5
0.4
6
Tantum
2.5
2,2
-14.0
0.3
0.2
7
Voltaren
3,1
2.8
-10.2
0.3
0.3
8
Lorista
4,1
3,7
-10.0
0.4
0.4
9
Mildronate
2.5
2,3
-9.9
0.3
0.2
10
Citramon p
2.5
2,2
-9.8
0.3
0.2
Source: AlphaRM, “PV ” calculations
What companies have grown
Among the corporations that distinguished themselves by the growth of sales, mainly manufacturers of generics.
The top three in terms of market growth in pharmacies included YuzhPharm (sales growth + 89%), Medisorb (+ 54.1%) and Alkaloid (+ 50.4%).
For the company "YuzhPharm" the main driver of growth was the vasoconstrictor nasal agent "Morelor xylo" (xylometazoline) - the share among the company's drugs is 17.3%.
Sales of the drug have more than tripled in money since January-September last year.
Medisorb has a large number of branded generics, which have become noticeably more popular over the past year.
For example, sales of drugs "Citramon p medisorb" and "Atorvastatin medisorb" increased more than twice in rubles.
Good growth rates are also in the antibiotic Panzef (cefixime) produced by Alkaloid.
In January-September 2023, Panzef has a record share in the company's assortment - 76.3%.
According to the results of nine months of 2022, Panzef for the first time surpassed the cefixime produced by Astellas under the name Suprax.
Last year, a shortage of some antibacterial drugs was reported, doctors were forced to reorient themselves to drugs available in pharmacies.
Most likely at this point and there was a change in the leading brands among antibiotics.
TOP10 corporations * on the growth of pharmacy sales in January-September 2023
CORPORATION
Sales volume, RUB bn
Sales growth,%
Leading brand (name / share in the manufacturer ’ s portfolio in value terms,%)
Ranking
January – September 2022
January – September 2023
January – September 2022
January – September 2023
1
YuzhPharm
1.1
2,2
89.0
Morelor xylo (10.2)
Morelor xylo (17,3)
2
Medisorb
1.5
2,3
54.1
Citramon P Medisorb (10.8)
Citramon P Medisorb (18.7)
3
Alkaloid
2,0
2,9
50.4
Panzef (70,5)
Panzef (76,3)
4
Pharmasynthesis
1,4
2.1
48.5
Nomides (66.9)
Nomides (54.6)
5
Vifor Pharma
1,3
2,0
47.8
Ferinjekt (50.2)
Ferinjekt (48,8)
6
Bright way Group
3.0
4.4
45.4
Ibuprofen Welpharm (11,6)
Ibuprofen Welpharm (11,4)
7
Pranapharm
2.5
3,6
43.8
Losartan (18,8)
Losartan (13.6)
8
Evalar
2,2
3,1
41.8
Ginkoum (18,6)
Nephrosten (14,6)
9
ABBA
2,0
2,9
41.0
Ecofuril (20,4)
Ecofuril (23,6)
10
Rompharm Company
4.6
6.2
36.4
Dorzopt (28.4%)
Dorzopt (21.5%)
Source: AlphaRM, “PV ” calculations
The leader among the fast-growing brands in the first nine months of 2023 is Uperio (valsartan + sacubitrile) produced by Novartis (sales growth + 70.9% in rubles).
Apply the drug for the treatment of chronic heart failure.
The drug is produced in St. Petersburg at the Novartis Neva plant.
The brand "Forsiga" (dapagliflozin) from AstraZeneca is in second place in terms of growth in pharmacies (+ 69%).
Forsiga is used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, as well as for patients with heart failure and chronic kidney disease.
In the last two years, nine drugs with INN dapagliflozin of domestic and foreign origin have been registered in the Russian State Register.
However, none of them have entered the market yet, since the drug is protected by patents of AstraZeneca.
Patent protection of the drug was supposed to end in 2023, but was extended until 2028.
TOP10 brands * on the growth of pharmacy sales in January-September 2023
Brand
Sales volume, RUB bn
Sales growth,%
The share of the drug in the pharmacy market in value terms,%
Ranking
January – September 2022
January – September 2023
January – September 2022
January – September 2023
1
Juperio
1,2
2.1
70.9
0.1
0.2
2
Forsiga
2.1
3,5
69.0
0.2
0.3
3
Panzef
1,4
2,2
62.7
0.1
0.2
4
Sorbifer durules
1.5
2,2
49.1
0.2
0.2
5
Angidak
1,4
1.9
36.5
0.1
0.2
6
Triplixam
2,0
2.7
35.0
0.2
0.3
7
Xefokam
1.5
2,0
34.6
0.2
0.2
8
Nimesulide
1,4
1.9
32.2
0.1
0.2
9
Bisoprolol-vertex
1,4
1.9
31.8
0.1
0.2
10
Reduxin
1,8
2,3
31.6
0.2
0.2
Source: AlphaRM, “PV ” calculations
* Sample: TOP100 brands by volume of pharmacy sales in value terms.
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Novo Nordisk Ozempic supply halted in Russia 2022, reducing sales.

US cancer centers report carboplatin shortage 72% of surveyed sites.

Title:

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.

Copyright © 2023 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Latest Headlines

US cancer centers report cisplatin shortage 59% of surveyed sites.

US cancer centers report methotrexate shortage 66% of surveyed sites.

US cancer centers report 5-fluorouracil shortage 55% of surveyed sites.

US cancer centers report fludarabine shortage 45% of surveyed sites.

US cancer centers report hydrocortisone shortage 41% of surveyed sites.

US Q1 2024 had 323 drugs in severe shortage, highest since 2014.

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.
An Unexpected Catastrophe in the World ’ s Largest Country: The Complete Story of U.S. Drug Shortages
The deficit is at a record level.
According to data from the American Society of Health System Pharmacists and the University of Utah Drug Information Service, organizations began tracking drug shortages for the first time in 2001. Steady since 2021 – now reaching a record high of 323 drugs in the first three months of 2024.
Paul Abramowitz, CEO of the American Society of Health System Pharmacists, wrote in a blog post on Thursday: “It ’ s been a long time to end drug shortages, ” and wrote:“ All drug classes are vulnerable to shortages, some of the most worrisome shortages include sterile injectable generic drugs, including cancer chemotherapy drugs and emergency drugs stored in hospital vans and procedural areas. It is dangerous for doctors and patients. ”
In addition to the 32 chemotherapy drugs that are deficient, the five categories of drugs with the greatest deficiency include central nervous system stimulants, antimicrobials, hormonal agents, and intravenous fluids. [1] The Drug Deficiency Database maintained by the American Society of Health System Pharmacists and the University of Utah is based on voluntary reports from practitioners, patients, and others that have been confirmed by manufacturers. The U.S. drug is in short supply, because it captures broader effects on service providers and patients.
The crisis has lasted a year and a half.
More than half of the treatment shortages have lasted for more than two years, according to an analysis by health consultancy IQVIA, and the average shortage affects at least half a million patients, many of them elderly, according to the US Office of Health and Human Services under the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, which shared its analysis with Congress in May.
Growing demand can play a role in drug shortages, as with the recent shortage of weight-loss drugs, but often manufacturing and quality problems, such as supply chain gaps and downtime, are the root cause. And varied.
But the American Society of Health System Pharmacists has “serious concerns ” about parts of this proposal, especially financial sanctions imposed on hospitals that lack the resources to comply with the recommendations, Abramowitz wrote:“ We all know that managing shortages is not enough and is not a sustainable solution to the worsening crisis, and there is still a lot of work to be done at the federal level to fix the root causes of drug shortages. ”
Why Shortage Occurs
Shortages can be caused by high demand, as with the recent shortage of weight-loss drugs, but this is not usually the main problem.
The FDA also blames manufacturing and quality problems, supply chain gaps, and downtime, and Dr. Emily Tucker, a drug shortage expert and an assistant professor of industrial engineering at Clemson University, says that when there is an indication of shortages, large health systems often also proactively place large orders, adding to the system ’ s stress.
“I don ’ t blame anyone.
“When I talk to all the stakeholders – whether it ’ s wholesalers, manufacturers, or the government – everyone wants this problem to end, ” she said.
Lack of transparency
Dr. Julie Grallo, chief medical officer and executive vice president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, told the House Committee earlier that the shortage puts providers in a terrible position: “The drug shortage crisis is forcing providers to make impossible choices, and it is also hindering the development of new drugs. Health drugs are purchased only on a price basis, and manufacturers do not have to disclose the source of their acquisition of the ingredients.
The shortage of this generic chemical drug came due to the closure of one factory in India that manufactures the active ingredient after a surprise FDA inspection found “significant quality issues, ” says Jarallo:“ We didn ’ t know, and there was no transparency regarding the company ’ s supply of the majority of active pharmaceutical ingredients to all manufacturers across the board.
Knowing this in advance, we could have responded much faster, ” Dr. Steven Schundlemeyer, director of the PRIME Institute of the University of Minnesota School of Pharmacy, which focuses on economic and management issues, told the committee that as with defense contractors in the United States, New Zealand requires manufacturers to disclose their suppliers, and that information is required.
Easily accessible in the database.
Related Topics

Title:

Content: Meitu
The first quarter of the United States serious drug shortage 323 drugs urgent cancer patients also have to be diverted and rationed!
CHU HENG NETWORK NEWS CENTER 2024-04-16 10: 42
According to the latest data from the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the Utah Center for Drug Information Services, a total of 323 drugs in the United States were in severe shortages in the first quarter of this year, surpassing the record of 320 in 2014.
Among the drugs affected are the widely used diabetes drugs Ozempic and Mounjaro, the allergy treatment drug adrenaline, the common antibiotic amoxicillin for children, chemotherapy drugs and injections commonly used in hospitals in intensive care.
ASHP CEO Paul Abramowitz said in a statement that almost all categories of drugs are facing shortages, with non-patented sterile injectable drugs, including cancer chemotherapy drugs, and emergency drugs stored in hospital emergency vans and operating areas, the shortage of such drugs is the most worrying.
According to the American Cancer Society, chemotherapy is one of the top five drugs most affected by the shortage, which threatens to have a devastating impact on patients, and some hospitals and clinics say doctors have had to divert patients to ration their medications because of a shortage of some chemotherapy drugs.
In addition, ASHP noted that the continued nationwide shortage of ADHD drugs is “a problem for clinicians and patients. ”
The shortage of popular drugs is even more acute, with Mounjaro, the diabetes drug known as the “slimming pill ”, already in dire straits.
In response, Lilly said that the “unprecedented surge in demand ” for Mounjaro and its similar drug Zepbound has led to a shortage in the market, which the company is struggling to cope with.
Lilly is ramping up investments to boost production at Mounjaro and Zepbound in the second half of 2024.
The company said it expects intermittent supply disruptions in the near term due to unprecedented demand.
How to cure the drug shortage
The last major “drug shortage ” in U.S. history occurred in 2014, and it has only been alleviated in the years since.
Since 2021, the drug shortage situation seems to be increasing, and scholars in the field of medical health and economics in the United States believe that the reason for most drug shortages in the United States is the fragmentation of the drug supply chain.
The White House this month proposed spending between $3.26 billion and $5.11 billion over the next decade to help address the nation ’ s drug shortage.
The bill requires approval and funding from the U.S. Congress.
U.S. researchers and policymakers believe that a complete solution to the “drug shortage ” may require changes to the business model of the U.S. pharmaceutical industry, including measures to increase the price of generic drugs to attract more drug manufacturers.
Policymakers recommend giving the FDA more power to access more information about drug shortages and impending shortages.
Currently, the FDA relies primarily on phone calls to manufacturers asking if they can increase their supply to understand the situation.
The American Society of Health System Pharmacists said it is working with the federal government to advise the government on measures to address the drug shortage, including that Congress should require manufacturers to be more transparent on any supply chain issues and encourage more diversity in supply chains.
According to Abramowitz, “The federal government still has a lot of work to do to fundamentally address drug shortages, and the American Society of Health System Pharmacists will continue to engage regularly with policymakers to guide them in drafting and passing new legislation to address drug shortages and continue to advocate vigorously for proven solutions on behalf of our members. ”

US shortages of ADHD medications persist across the country.

US shortages of chemotherapy drugs cause treatment delays.

EU faced shortages of penicillin, amoxicillin, and paracetamol Dec 2022-Jan 2023.

Title:

Content: Brussels is planning for EU countries to share vital medicines and take emergency measures to avoid a repeat of shortages that hit the bloc a year ago.

The European Commission is proposing a “voluntary solidarity mechanism” requested by France and Germany and an early warning system flagging when drugs become scarce, according to draft proposals seen by the Financial Times. If insufficient donors come forward, EU capitals will be allowed to tap into an EU-funded stockpile set up during the Covid-19 pandemic and take other emergency measures.

In December and January western countries suffered a shortage of antibiotics including penicillin and amoxicillin, and painkillers such as paracetamol, especially in medicines used by children.

Among the emergency measures floated to prevent a repeat of that crisis, the commission could allow the extension of a drug’s shelf life, fast track approvals of alternative suppliers and support production increases.

Brussels will also encourage joint procurement of drugs from 2024 and medicine swaps with countries in the southern hemisphere, where peak winter demand happens at a different time.

The commission will draw up guidance for national stockpiles in 2024 and establish a Critical Medicines Alliance bringing governments, industry and civil society together. The commission declined to comment.

Three-quarters of countries reported a worsening of drug shortages in 2022, according to an industry survey. EU manufacturing is heavily reliant on imported active pharmaceutical ingredients from China and India.

Rising demand and disruption to supply chains have been compounded by inflation hitting the production of generic drugs, which typically sell at much lower prices than branded versions.

France has been actively encouraging the reshoring of basic medicine supply, with a giant paracetamol factory set to open in the country next year.

The EU is discussing whether to provide more funding for domestic production.

The commission’s proposal is scheduled to be approved on October 25 and could still change. Initially non-binding, it could lead to a Critical Medicines Act, with Brussels drawing up a list of vital medicines by year-end.

The commission also urges member states and the European parliament to approve its overhaul of pharmaceutical legislation, put forward in April. It includes plans to take control of drug production in the event of a public health emergency, a requirement for stockholders to inform Brussels of supply levels and for manufacturers to give early warnings of shortages.

An analysis by the European Medicines Agency and the commission found that unless there is unexpected demand the EU should avoid an antibiotics shortage this year.

“The information available today suggests that — if demand in the coming winter season does not differ significantly from the demand of recent years — the supply to the EU of key antibiotics seems to generally match demand,” the analysis said.

“However, this depends strongly on the compliance of industry with their legal obligations to ensure supply and their ability to adapt.”

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2023. All rights reserved.
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EU manufacturing relies heavily on China and India for active pharmaceutical ingredients.

France reported 4,925 drug shortages in 2023, up from 3,761 in 2022.

Title:

Content: French health groups put forward proposals to limit the damage of worsening drug shortages

Medicines such as cough syrup, lozenges and ointment are seen on a table in an apartment in Berlin, Tuesday, December 20, 2022. Copyright Stephanie Pilick/dpa via AP
Copyright Stephanie Pilick/dpa via AP
By Lauren Chadwick
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Pharmaceutical companies’ lack of transparency leads to rising drug prices and less control over public resources, the group of health organisations say.

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A group of French organisations have called for more transparency from pharmaceutical companies as drug shortages increase.

In a joint report, 14 civil society organisations outlined their recommendations to solve a “situation that has only worsened” since 2018.

The French medicines regulator signalled 4,925 drug shortages in 2023, compared to 3,761 in 2022 and 2,160 in 2021.

A 2024 survey from France Assos Santé, which represents patients, found that 44 per cent of people in France said they had faced a drug shortage this year.

One of the pharmacy unions in France has even planned a strike at the end of the month over drug shortages and what they say is worsening access to care.

Each health organisation contributed an article with recommendations for dealing with the drug shortages.

The League Against Cancer urged complete transparency on drug shortages and potential substitutions for health professionals.

They also called for monitoring of medicine stocks and their location in the country to guarantee equal access.

The organisation found in a survey published in February that 78 per cent of health professionals in oncology had been faced with a drug shortage.

Drug shortages or delays have led to anxiety among cancer patients, lost time, and worsening symptoms, the organisation said.

France Assos Santé, meanwhile, wrote that an urgent response should not be to support “the industrial sector which bears serious responsibilities” for abandoning the production of less profitable drugs, relocating drug production, and keeping insufficient medicine stocks.

They would like any cost increases justified by production costs or the risk of withdrawing a drug from the market due to it being unprofitable. They called for cost evaluations to be made public.

Their concerns also range from the use of public money to bring drug production to Europe to new government plans to prevent shortages.

Some changes at the EU level criticised

Last year, the European Commission announced several measures to reform the pharmaceutical industry and address critical drug shortages.

The European Parliament went on to adopt a position on pharmaceutical reform last month, that included “incentives for innovation” and an effort to limit overuse of antibiotics.

The non-profit organisation Prescrire, which focuses on information about medicine, wrote in a chapter they contributed to the report that while some of the European Commission’s measures were welcome, others were concerning.

One of the many measures they rejected included the Commission’s proposal to reduce the number of days of scientific evaluation of drugs from 210 to 180, which they said was necessary time rather than an “administrative obstacle”.

While the NGO welcomed some measures such as government drug shortage prevention plans, it said the Commission should allow EU states to require pharmaceutical companies to have safety stocks of medicine and sanction those that do not respect them.

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French consumer organisation UFC-Que Choisir and the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) said that they had hoped MEPs would shorten the length of time for “data protection” to allow generic medicines to be marketed more quickly.

Instead, MEPs approved shortening the period to 7.5 years, “which is almost the same duration as the current 8 years [yet] within the framework of the text adopted by Parliament, companies can gain additional months of protection under certain conditions to reach a total of 8.5 years,” UFC-Que Choisir said.

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France patients reported 44% experienced drug shortages in 2024.

Egypt suffers shortages of heart, bone, cancer, joint, epilepsy, hypertension, thyroid, diabetes meds.

Title:

Content: Chairman of Wafd Party
Dr. Abdul Sindh Yamama
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Dr. Ayman is an accountant.
Editor-in-Chief
I'm sorry.
My grandfather, Zainuddin.
Chairman of Wafd Party
Dr. Abdul Sindh Yamama
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Dr. Ayman is an accountant.
Editor-in-Chief
I'm sorry.
My grandfather, Zainuddin.
Smuggling burns drug stability
Libya and Sudan are the main destinations.
And the profits are huge.
Deficiencies include stents, heart medications, diabetes, pressure, and tumors.
It is an undeniable fact that the Egyptian pharmaceutical market is experiencing a crisis of shortage of some vital items on which citizens depend mainly, and at all levels, which exacerbated the suffering of patients in public hospitals affiliated to the government, which receive subsidized medicines at low prices, so that the so-called alternative class becomes a citizen ’ s refuge, to get the necessary dose of medicine, to alleviate his health suffering or save his life.
At a time when it is assumed that more than 90% of medicines are manufactured in Egypt, citizens' complaints about the lack of many medicines and medical supplies in the markets and hospitals are escalating to the extent that deputies submitted a number of requests for briefing through the deputies, stressing that the crisis lies in the raw material itself and imported in dollars.
And the pressure.
Thyroid and sugar.
The main reasons lie in the importation of 95% of raw materials in addition to the presence of “smuggling brokers ” whose mission is to smuggle Egyptian medicine to neighboring conflict countries, especially Libya and Sudan, in order to sell it abroad at exorbitant prices, and to reap huge profits, according to some pharmacists and specialists. In addition to Sudan ’ s import of Egyptian medicine in hard currency, especially with the licenses of Egyptian medicine compared to others and the stopping of factories in neighboring countries because of their conflicts.
According to Ali Abdullah, head of the Egyptian Society for Pharmaceutical Studies (an NGO), the lack of medicines and their disappearance from the local market is a real crisis in case of smuggling, such as insulin, tumors, anesthesia, surgical supplies, serums and vaccines.
The shortage of hard currency in Egypt is also one of the reasons for the disappearance of medicines.
Mahfouz Ramzi, head of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Committee at the Cairo Pharmacists Syndicate, pointed out that there are organized gangs that smuggle medicine to countries of conflicts and wars, explaining that “most operations are conducted through land border roads, and the Egyptian Drug Authority is responsible for inspecting companies, factories and any pharmaceutical institution, to ensure that medicines produced in Egypt are in the normal sequence until they reach pharmacies. ”“ Some smuggling professionals deal with drug stores, where they buy large quantities of medicines, take advantage of discounts on them, and then smuggle them abroad to take advantage of the price difference. ”
The Executive Director of the Egyptian Center for the Right to Medicine, Mahmoud Fouad, confirmed that "the drug stores have turned into an illegal business and a back gate for drug smuggling and expired drug trade, as most of them are not licensed and sold without invoices, and are not subject to the umbrella of the Ministry of Health, in addition to the lack of health standards required to practice the profession of pharmacy, after some stores are run from apartments away from the eyes of the Ministry of the control bodies. 90% of its owners are not pharmacists. ”
“Are these stores registered with the Ministry of Health?
And are they subject to pharmaceutical inspection or from the Drug Control and Research Authority? ”, stressing that most of the small pharmacies in the villages “do not have the ability to buy medicine from distribution companies, which makes them resort to buying from stores after agreeing on specific facilities and periods for payment, ” pointing out that“ popular medicines in Egypt are the most smuggled abroad. ” From 250 pounds ($8 at the official exchange rate).
According to Dr. Ashraf Hatem, Chairman of the Health Committee in Parliament, it is a social responsibility, and priorities must be set, and all parties sitting together may help to solve the crisis, in light of the apparent shortage of a number of medical drugs, and his demand that the Drug Authority publish periodically and daily alternatives to the missing medicines in the absence of the original medicine. In addition, the pharmaceutical industry continues to operate and produce.
For all this and for the continuation of the crisis of drug shortage it was necessary to search and investigate the causes and solutions!
During the meeting of Gamal al-Laith, Chairman of the Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industry at the Federation of Industries, in the presence of Minister of Health Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, the Governor of the Central Bank, Hassan Abdullah, and others, he sent letters of reassurance to the Egyptian people about the existence of a solution to pump the needs of the market of foreign currency to end the shortage of medicines. Or psychologically for the patient.
He said: « The medicines that suffer from the shortage, some of them are sugar drugs and other drugs tumors and drugs of the glands and heart, drugs related to chronic diseases, which is now being secured, and we as factories work with a stock of raw materials enough for 4-6 months, and this stock reached only weeks, and therefore we are now in the stage of risk, and therefore the government began to move ».
He added that the health sector is supported by the provision of foreign exchange resources to provide all needs according to a plan to deal with such circumstances, stressing the importance of full coordination between the unified purchasing authority and the pharmaceutical industry room as well as pharmaceutical companies to face any problems related to the shortage of supplies, medicines and medical consumables.
As well as a detailed presentation on the commitments implemented and not implemented in the period from June 2023 to January 2024, with regard to the provision of (medicines, medical supplies, laboratory supplies, devices, raw materials and packing materials), and the Minister was briefed on the results of the mechanisms established with the Central Bank of Egypt to pay the obligations in foreign currency to meet the demands of the health care sector.
In the end, the official spokesman stressed that the shortage of drugs does not exceed 15% and the drugs directed to tumors are at the forefront of the shortcomings because of their close link to the currency and what faces the supply chains, otherwise all drugs and within them are compatible... The complaints are due in their entirety to the lack of knowledge of citizens with the trade names of medicines.
In addition to the above, a severe shortage of anesthetic drugs, dental pening drugs, nephrology and recovery drugs, which will cause a real disaster that threatens the conduct of surgical operations for patients, and thus increase the waiting lists in hospitals and the occurrence of complications for patients that may result in loss of their lives.
The head of the medicine division of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Ali Ouf, revealed that a request will be submitted to the Egyptian Drug Authority early next week to move the prices of 1,500 items in light of what he described as developments in the situation and rising costs.
He pointed out that « the need to raise the wages of workers in the pharmaceutical sector to compensate them for the cost of living and therefore must raise salaries so that they can live in the current conditions and the sector will bear the increase of salaries at the expense of cost and raise the minimum insurance ».
On the shortage of medicines, Amin al-Dabraki, one of the dealers in the pharmaceutical market, said that the main reason for the crisis is the lack of active substances imported by companies.
This is mainly due to the dollar crisis, in addition to the withdrawal of some financial companies from the Egyptian pharmaceutical market.
On the inability of the Ministry of Health to move the prices of medicines with the movement of the exchange rate, he said that the solutions are the intervention of the state by providing a fixed customs dollar for pharmaceutical companies, while moving the prices of medicines, in addition to starting factories to produce active substances inside Egypt.

Egypt's shortages caused by raw‑material import issues and lack of foreign currency.

FDA issued guidance requiring manufacturers to notify 6 months before stopping production.

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

WHO reports penicillin‑class drug shortages in 28 of 35 countries.

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.