Medication shortages are a growing global concern, affecting countries worldwide, including the European Union, due to high demand and low production capacity.

EU governments are addressing medicine shortages with generics and substitutes.

Some countries have changed drug formulations, like using syrups instead of tablets, to cope with shortages.

Pediatric drugs are less available and Spain's drug shortage rose by 38% in a year.

Inflation, energy prices, and raw material shortages have affected production, leading to a shortage of medicines.

A record 323 drug shortages were reported in 2024, with tracking begun in 2001.

Most treatment shortages last over two years, affecting at least half a million patients.

Manufacturing and quality issues are the main causes of shortages, the FDA says.

The FDA blames supply chain gaps and downtime for shortages.

Russia faced a shortage of about 100 drugs in 2022-2023, including immunoglobulin and paracetamol.

The World Health Organization announced a global antibiotic shortage in 2022.

Penicillin and amoxicillin were in short supply due to rising syphilis cases.

As of 2021, 111 US drugs were out of stock, with the FDA monitoring the supply chain.

Production problems and quality issues contributed to US drug shortages.

A global shortage of antibiotics was recorded, with 28 of 35 countries lacking penicillin-type drugs.

The US and Canada faced an amoxicillin shortage amid decreased pharmaceutical profits due to high energy prices.

Saudi Arabia had 107,246 medicine shortage reports in Q1 2021, averaging 50 per hour.

An operations room was established to address medicine and vaccination shortages.

In 2024, 323 US drugs were in severe shortage, affecting cancer patients.

The EU has faced shortages of over 600 drugs, including antibiotics and painkillers for children, since 2023.

China reported and resolved a 2023 drug shortage, improving its national shortage drug classification system.

The White House proposed $3.26-5.11 billion to address shortages.

Medication shortages are a growing global concern, affecting countries worldwide, including the European Union, due to high demand and low production capacity.

Title:

Content: There is not enough medicine in the EU
19 January 2023, 05: 20
ASTANA.
KAZINFORM - The European Union is suffering from a shortage of medicines.
Deficiency of antibiotics, such as amoxicillin, drugs against colds, flu and other respiratory infections, as well as some drugs for children, reports MIA "Kazinform" with reference to euronews.com.
In most countries, the situation is considered critical, but since such goods from pharmacies do not disappear at all, citizens are not advised to make stocks.
Doctors note a weakening in the population of natural immunity due to protection against coronavirus such as social distancing.
The main reasons for the sharp increase in demand, which have been identified, is the high prevalence of respiratory diseases with a lack of production capacity.
As pharmaceutical issues are being addressed at the national level, Governments are already taking steps to overcome the shortage
These measures include the sale of generics and the replacement of requested medicines with similar ones.
In some countries, some formulations have been changed, for example, drugs are offered in the form of syrups instead of tablets, so that children are more willing to take them.
"Pediatric drugs are generally now less available in the form of conventional tablets," said Steffen Tierstrup, chief medical officer of the European Medicines Agency. "Therefore, where children are more ill, the need for pediatric drugs is higher than for adult drugs."
A recent study showed that the shortage of drugs in Spain increased by 38% over the year.
The decline in their production was affected by inflation, high energy prices, shortages of raw materials and the effects of the pandemic.
“We need diversification, ” said Ilaria Passarani, head of the EU Pharmaceutical Group.“ Of course, it would be useful to return to Europe the production of some critical materials, such as active ingredients.
But we can't return all the production of all the materials we use for drugs.
This entails problems such as the increase in pharmacy prices associated with the implementation of environmental laws, labor laws, which are not necessarily enforced in other regions. ”
In March, the European Commission will present a revised version of the EU pharmaceutical legislation, which will include stricter supply obligations, earlier notification of shortages and seizures of medicines, and better informing the public about available stocks.
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EU governments are addressing medicine shortages with generics and substitutes.

Some countries have changed drug formulations, like using syrups instead of tablets, to cope with shortages.

Pediatric drugs are less available and Spain's drug shortage rose by 38% in a year.

Inflation, energy prices, and raw material shortages have affected production, leading to a shortage of medicines.

A record 323 drug shortages were reported in 2024, with tracking begun in 2001.

Title:

Content: General Supervision
Elham Aboul Fath
Editor-in-Chief
Thank you for your patience.
General Supervision
Elham Aboul Fath
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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.
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Most treatment shortages last over two years, affecting at least half a million patients.

Manufacturing and quality issues are the main causes of shortages, the FDA says.

The FDA blames supply chain gaps and downtime for shortages.

Russia faced a shortage of about 100 drugs in 2022-2023, including immunoglobulin and paracetamol.

Title:

Content: Links for simplified access
The Ministry of Health of Russia announced the threat of a shortage of about 100 drugs
In Russia, there may be a shortage of about a hundred medicines, - follows from the list of the interdepartmental commission of the Ministry of Health, created to determine the shortage or risk of shortage of drugs in 2022-2023.
The list published in the closed part of the State Register of Medicines drew the attention of the Pharmaceutical Bulletin.
The press service of the Ministry of Health specified that 97 drugs were included in the list.
Their presence in pharmacies is taken under the control of the department.
Among the drugs that may be in short supply are immunoglobulin, retinol, activated carbon, hydrogen peroxide, iodine, paracetamol, a vaccine for the prevention of diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus, and others.
In order to ensure their availability on the market, the agency proposes, among other things, to speed up the registration of a number of drugs, to allow the sale of some drugs in foreign packaging, to issue permits for temporary circulation in Russia of a number of drugs without registration.
After the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, Russian doctors faced a shortage of more than eighty drugs, including insulin and children ’ s nurofen.
This follows from a survey of the professional community “Vrachi.rf ” .the Ministry of health assures that the supply of medicines to Russia continues, despite the sanctions.
In the European Union, some manufacturers of drugs and components for their manufacture, as well as some firms involved in the supply of medical equipment, say that exports to Russia have been suspended, including due to disruption of supply chains.
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The World Health Organization announced a global antibiotic shortage in 2022.

Title:

Content: Pfizer: Children ’ s antibacterial drug based on penicillin will end in June
Pfizer has warned that the supply of the drug Bicillin L-A (benzatin penicillin G), used to treat syphilis and other bacterial infections in children, is running out.
The company predicts the absence of the drug by the end of June, reports Reuters.
The deficit is due to a surge in the incidence of syphilis among the adult population, in connection with which the company had to give priority to dosages of the drug for patients older than 18 years.
Pfizer sent an appeal to the US Department of Health, in which it noted that the company ’ s penicillin drugs have been recognized as deficient since April 2023.
In the same letter, it is reported that a similar drug, Bicillin C-R, which is used to treat infections associated with upper respiratory diseases, is expected to end in the third quarter of 2023.
At the end of 2022, the WHO announced a shortage of antibiotics - penicillin and amoxicillin - around the world due to the increase in the number of infectious diseases after the abolition of coronavirus restrictions.
“Countries did not foresee that respiratory infections would strike in the first year after refusing to wear medical masks, ” said Lisa Hedman, head of WHO ’ s drug supply and access team.
In early 2023, the European Commission proposed the creation of a common stock of medicines to provide “strategic autonomy ” in the supply of essential drugs such as paracetamol and penicillin.
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Penicillin and amoxicillin were in short supply due to rising syphilis cases.

As of 2021, 111 US drugs were out of stock, with the FDA monitoring the supply chain.

Title:

Content: US supply chain crisis continues, FDA points to 111 drug shortages
Global Social Hotspot 16: 35 2021 / 12 / 05
Share:
The supply chain crisis in the United States continues, and many goods are facing shortages.
The US media said that the US pharmacies have a number of critical prescription drugs in stock. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pointed out that about 111 drugs are out of stock in the United States. The FDA stressed that it will continue to take measures to monitor the supply chain.
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The Federal Reserve warned on Wednesday that large parts of the United States had begun to be affected by supply chain disruptions and labor shortages last month.
According to the FDA website, 111 drugs are out of stock in the United States, including the heart disease drug digoxin injection, the chemical drug Dacarbazine and some antibiotics.
The authorities say there are many reasons for the shortage, including production problems, quality problems, drugs and even the suspension of production.
According to the FDA, about 80% of the manufacturers of active pharmaceutical ingredients are located overseas, and the manufacturers have provided the FDA with most of the drug shortage information.
The Administration will also work closely with these manufacturers to address the drug shortage.
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Long Island Newspaper Newsday quoted Tom D'Angelo, president of the New York State Association of Pharmacists, as saying the shipping of a large number of medicines, including those for common blood pressure and for the treatment of colds and flu, was blocked.
Because of supply chain problems, the owner of a New York drugstore said there were fewer brands for some drugs, including Ibuprofen.
The National Association of Community Pharmacists (NCPA) released a survey last month that found that most non-chain pharmacies are struggling to fill employee vacancies and cope with supply chain disruptions.
Sixty percent of pharmacies surveyed said they were dealing with supply chain disruptions, and nearly 70 percent said it was difficult to fill staff vacancies.
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Production problems and quality issues contributed to US drug shortages.

A global shortage of antibiotics was recorded, with 28 of 35 countries lacking penicillin-type drugs.

Title:

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

The US and Canada faced an amoxicillin shortage amid decreased pharmaceutical profits due to high energy prices.

Saudi Arabia had 107,246 medicine shortage reports in Q1 2021, averaging 50 per hour.

Title:

Content: Saudi News
There are 50 urgent reports every hour about the shortage of medicines in Saudi Arabia.
The Ministry of Health revealed that it received 107,246 reports during the first quarter of this year 2021 regarding the lack of medicines and vaccines in hospitals and health centers affiliated to the Ministry, with 1,191 reports daily and 50 reports every hour.
According to official data issued by the Ministry, during the first quarter of this year, the health received 67,065 reports related to the lack of medicines, in addition to 40,181 reports on the lack of vaccinations in health centers.
In order to solve the problem of shortage of medicines and vaccines, the ministry said that it has established an operations room to follow up reports of shortage of medicines to identify the challenges facing health facilities in providing medicines to beneficiaries, which reduced the number of weekly reports.
Statistics of communications

Lack of medicines in the hospitals of the Ministry of Health.
Description of the communication
Reports received from some beneficiaries related to the lack of availability of the medicine disbursed to them by the establishment.
Number of complaints closed
 98.95%
Number of communications
 67065
Source of the communication
Call Center « 937 » - « Twitter »
Service Evaluation
 85.81%

Lack of vaccinations in health centers
Description of the communication
Notifications received from some beneficiaries who did not receive vaccinations service.
Number of complaints closed
 99  34%
Number of communications
 40181
Source of the communication
Call Center (937) - Twitter
Service Evaluation
 88.82%
Report Period
 Q1 - 2021
Report Period
 Q1 - 2021
Decision for improvement
An operations room has been established to follow up reports of lack of medicines to identify the challenges facing health facilities in providing medicines to beneficiaries, thus reducing the number of weekly reports.
Decision for improvement
A weekly report containing the most important challenges leading to the lack of vaccinations was directed to be prepared and presented to leaders on a regular basis, which led to a reduction in the number of reports related to this classification.
These were the details of urgent news | 50 reports every hour on the shortage of medicines in Saudi Arabia for today we hope that we have succeeded by giving you the details and full information and to follow all our news you can subscribe to the system alerts or in one of our different systems to provide you with all that is new.
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An operations room was established to address medicine and vaccination shortages.

In 2024, 323 US drugs were in severe shortage, affecting cancer patients.

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. ”

The EU has faced shortages of over 600 drugs, including antibiotics and painkillers for children, since 2023.

Title:

Content: EU lacks drugs, including antibiotics and painkillers for children
2023-01-30 15: 36
In the European Union, there are not enough drugs, including antibiotics and painkillers for children, Politico reports.
In particular, there is a lack of amoxicillin, which is used to treat respiratory infections, as well as other types of medications, including cough syrup, paracetamol for children and blood pressure medications.
According to Politico, since the end of last year, EU countries have reported serious problems with the supply of some important medicines, with most of them experiencing shortages.
In a survey of groups representing pharmacies in 29 European countries, including EU member states, as well as Turkey, Kosovo, Norway and North Macedonia, almost a quarter of countries reported shortages of more than 600 drugs, and 20 percent reported shortages of 200-300 drugs.
Three-quarters of countries said that the deficit this winter is greater than a year ago.
Belgian authorities report a shortage of almost 300 drugs.
In Germany, this figure is 408, and in Austria, more than 600 drugs are currently not available in pharmacies.
The Italian list is even longer – it includes more than 3,000 drugs, although many of them are different types of the same drug.
There is a lack of antibiotics, especially amoxicillin, which is used to treat respiratory infections.
There are also no other classes of medications, including cough syrup, paracetamol for children, and blood pressure medications.
Published by: Nikolay Skira
SMI2 news

China reported and resolved a 2023 drug shortage, improving its national shortage drug classification system.

Title:

Content: 【 Printing 】
2023 shortage of drugs reported information has been fully dealt with
Related LINKS http: / / www.CRNT.com 2024-03-14 15: 33: 32
Beijing, March 14 / Xinhua News Agency reported that the reporter learned from the National Health and Health Commission on the 13th, the national, provincial, municipal and county four shortage drug classification system gradually improved and effective operation, 2023 shortage drug reporting information has been fully addressed, and the temporary import work of clinically urgent drugs is done.
It is understood that in the near future, the national and provincial shortage of drug supply guarantee work will discuss the mechanism of various units to ensure the supply of stable prices as the focus, and continue to improve the classification of shortage of drugs to deal with the ability to deal with, multi-dimensional improvement of shortage of drug information monitoring.
The National Health and Health Commission relies on the national public medical and health institutions shortage of drug information direct reporting system and other monitoring conditions to carry out monitoring and early warning and regular reporting.
The State Medical Insurance Bureau continuously monitors the national shortage list of drugs and clinically necessary drugs that are vulnerable to shortage, focusing on the abnormal high prices and distribution data of the listed drugs.
The National Drug Administration continues to collect information on the production supply and shutdown reports of shortage of pharmaceutical products.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology relies on the shortage drug production supply monitoring and early warning platform to carry out dynamic monitoring and analysis.
The Ministry of Commerce organized some large pharmaceutical wholesale and retail enterprises to pay close attention to the supply and demand situation of pharmaceutical products.
At the same time, the whole chain guarantees the stable supply of shortage drugs.
The National Drug Administration continues to promote the review and approval of national shortage drug list varieties, and carries out the basic information labeling and data management of shortage drugs.
The State Medical and Health Insurance Bureau fully implements the policy of online procurement of shortage drugs, and explores the centralized procurement of shortage drugs.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology continues to support the construction of centralized production bases for small varieties of drugs, and establish regular shortages of drugs at the central and local levels.
The Ministry of Ecology and Environment takes flexible enforcement action to help enterprises rectify the situation in a timely manner if the environment of the enterprises involved in the production of pharmaceutical raw materials or preparations violates the law.
The SASAC of the State Council continues to promote state-owned enterprises to fulfill their social responsibilities in the supply of shortage drugs and play the function of "cistern".
The National Post Office continues to promote the construction of a comprehensive postal service platform, supporting the postal group to give full play to its network advantages and continuously improve its medical distribution service capabilities.
In addition, strengthen the enforcement of illegal acts.
The General Administration of Market Supervision investigates and punishes illegal acts such as monopoly in the field of pharmaceutical products according to law, and plays a warning and education role in major typical cases.
The General Administration of Taxation further increased the investigation and punishment of tax violations by some pharmaceutical enterprises, and standardized the tax order in the pharmaceutical field.
According to the clues of the problem and illegal facts, the National Medical Insurance Bureau talked about the relevant pharmaceutical companies to reduce the level of drug prices involved, and block the chain of benefits of manufacturing shortages and monopoly price increases.
【 Printing 】
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The White House proposed $3.26-5.11 billion to address shortages.