Between 2021 and 2024, global medication shortages intensified, affecting a vast array of essential drugs and impacting both developed and developing regions.

In the United States, shortages reached record highs, particularly for sterile injectable generics, cancer chemotherapy agents, emergency and intensive care drugs, central nervous system stimulants, antibiotics, hormonal agents, diabetes medications (such as Ozempic and Mounjaro), and intravenous fluids.

Over half of these shortages lasted more than two years, sometimes affecting hundreds of thousands of patients, notably the elderly and those with chronic or life-threatening illnesses .

Similar patterns were seen worldwide, including severe disruptions to the availability of cardiac, hypertension, thyroid, anesthesia, and tumor drugs in Egypt, and antibiotics and essential chronic medicines in Estonia, Russia, Taiwan, and China .

Low- and middle-income countries experienced profound shortages of WHO-listed essential cancer medicines, amplifying preventable mortality .

The underlying causes of these shortages included supply chain vulnerabilities from concentrated manufacturing in China and India, raw material scarcities, economic pressures, low profit margins for generics, labor disruptions, and a surge in global demand accentuated by public health emergencies and panic buying .

Administrative and reimbursement delays, together with poor coordination among health agencies and pharmaceutical suppliers, further exacerbated the issue .

Healthcare systems responded by increasing stock monitoring, encouraging generic substitution, instituting rationing protocols, improving stakeholder communication, and implementing real-time inventory platforms.

Nation-level interventions included mandated safety stocks, emergency imports, centralized procurement, incentive reforms, and expanded patient engagement in treatment planning .

Between 2021 and 2024, global medication shortages intensified, affecting a vast array of essential drugs and impacting both developed and developing regions.

Title:

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

In the United States, shortages reached record highs, particularly for sterile injectable generics, cancer chemotherapy agents, emergency and intensive care drugs, central nervous system stimulants, antibiotics, hormonal agents, diabetes medications (such as Ozempic and Mounjaro), and intravenous fluids.

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. ”

Over half of these shortages lasted more than two years, sometimes affecting hundreds of thousands of patients, notably the elderly and those with chronic or life-threatening illnesses .

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

Similar patterns were seen worldwide, including severe disruptions to the availability of cardiac, hypertension, thyroid, anesthesia, and tumor drugs in Egypt, and antibiotics and essential chronic medicines in Estonia, Russia, Taiwan, and China .

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.

Low- and middle-income countries experienced profound shortages of WHO-listed essential cancer medicines, amplifying preventable mortality .

The underlying causes of these shortages included supply chain vulnerabilities from concentrated manufacturing in China and India, raw material scarcities, economic pressures, low profit margins for generics, labor disruptions, and a surge in global demand accentuated by public health emergencies and panic buying .

Administrative and reimbursement delays, together with poor coordination among health agencies and pharmaceutical suppliers, further exacerbated the issue .

Title:

Content: Lack of medicines in MOH hospitals and accumulation of indebtedness Repercussions / solutions
3 hours ago
Dr. Naeem Malkawi
The problem of shortage of medicines in Jordanian hospitals requires quick and effective attention and intervention, as providing medicines to patients is one of the foundations of quality health care and one of the most important strategies of the Ministry of Health, however, the shortage of medicines in many hospitals leads to health, economic and social challenges that threaten the quality of health care and patient safety.
The budget of the Ministry of Health of medicines, vaccines, vaccines and medical consumables for this year 2023 was estimated at 103.75 million dinars, where the actual for the past year 2022 was 93.8 million dinars.
The question is, how did the Ministry of Health accumulate such a large indebtedness in the item of medicines to reach 300 million dinars for pharmaceutical companies?
And why last week was the debt of 2019 cleared and deducted estimated at 50% of the debt for that year?
This means that there is still a delay in the payment of dues for companies for the years 2020, 2021 and 2022 in addition to eight months of the current year 2023, and this brings us to a range of reasons and challenges:
1.
The aim of the Ministry of Health was to reduce the bureaucracy of procedures and overcome the complexity of procurement references in hospitals and health directorates in the governorates and not to obtain price and discount preferences, but the results indicate a defect in the management and mechanism of dealing with the strategy of unified and central procurement, despite the margin for hospital administrations to use the power of direct purchase in cases of necessity.
2.
Preparation of sub-budgets for hospitals: Evidence shows that there is a problem in the preparation of sub-budgets for hospitals and the main budget of the Ministry of Health with regard to the item of medicines, which is due to the lack of accurate and sufficient data on the number of patients and hospital needs of medicines, and the lack of accurate forecasting of future needs.
3.
Delays in the review of financial claims and invoices between the Ministry of Health and the hospitals on the one hand and the pharmaceutical companies on the other hand, is one of the most important reasons behind the accumulation of indebtedness, and this negatively affects the liquidity of the pharmaceutical companies and hinders them from providing a sustainable service in adhering to the procedures of supplying medicines according to schedule.
4.
Lack of coordination and communication: There may be a lack of coordination and communication between hospitals, the Ministry of Health and pharmaceutical companies, which complicates the supply and distribution of medicines and increases the chances of delays and the depletion of medicines from hospitals in the absence of an effective policy for stock management and the time required for stock adequacy.
5.
Focusing on the trade names of certain drugs from specific production sources and not adopting the protocol of writing the scientific name for the prescriptions of patients.
6.
One of the reasons that may be major and important at the same time is the funding aspect and the lack of the necessary allocations or use them in other aspects other than medicines to fill a deficit or emergency during the use of budget items due to the scarcity of available liquidity. Medication.
Lack of medication can lead to:
1.
Threat to patient safety: Lack of medication puts sick people at risk, as this can lead to delays in receiving necessary treatment or the unavailability of vital drugs, putting their lives at risk.
2.
Economic Implications: The lack of medicines entails additional economic costs for the health system and patients.
Medical cases may be referred to other medical centers or private hospitals, increasing pressure on other MOH budget items.
3.
Pressure on health care workers: Health care workers are under pressure as a result of dealing with patients affected by drug shortages and repeatedly facing their inquiries and complaints.
4.
Social repercussions:
Increased anxiety and stress: A lack of medication can lead to an increase in anxiety and stress among patients and their families, as they live in uncertainty about the availability of the necessary treatment.
Lack of medication can affect the level of trust in the health system among citizens, who may feel that the system is unable to provide them with adequate health care.
Increased costs and social burdens: Some patients may have to incur additional costs to obtain drugs from other sources outside hospitals, affecting their financial and economic status.
After all this narrative there must be ways to overcome these dilemmas:
1.
Preparation of budgets scientifically and professionally: Hospitals should develop more accurate standards for the preparation of sub-budgets for medicines, through the analysis of previous data, estimation of future needs and other scientific and methodological foundations in the preparation of budgets and commitment to apply them accurately.
2.
Improve coordination and communication between parties: Coordination between the Ministry of Health, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies should be strengthened through the establishment of structured mechanisms for information exchange, review of invoices, and completion of claims, and not delay them.
3.
Implementation of fiscal reforms: The Government and the Ministry of Health should implement fiscal reforms that provide funding to cover this important item and pay dues in a timely manner, reduce bureaucracy in the financial audit process, and proceed with payment procedures within the timetable mechanism agreed in the tender terms.
4.
Achieving social responsibility: The government and pharmaceutical companies should adopt a social responsibility towards patients by providing these drugs and reducing their prices in the market to make them more accessible to patients while relieving part of the pressure and burden on hospitals.
Addressing the problem of drug shortages in government hospitals requires comprehensive cooperation between all concerned parties from government, Ministry of Health, hospitals, drug suppliers and patients.
To provide medicines on a permanent basis and to ensure the provision of high quality health care to the Jordanian patient.

Healthcare systems responded by increasing stock monitoring, encouraging generic substitution, instituting rationing protocols, improving stakeholder communication, and implementing real-time inventory platforms.

Title:

Content: Acting Now To Sustain And Improve America's Healthcare System: Advice From Innovative Physicians And Health System Leaders

SM
Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton

Contributor

Sheppard Mullin is a full service Global 100 firm with over 1,000 attorneys in 16 offices located in the United States, Europe and Asia. Since 1927, companies have turned to Sheppard Mullin to handle corporate and technology matters, high stakes litigation and complex financial transactions. In the US, the firm’s clients include more than half of the Fortune 100.
At last week's America's Physician Groups Spring conference in San Diego, California, we listened as physicians and health system leaders described the ways...
United States Food, Drugs, Healthcare, Life Sciences
To print this article, all you need is to be registered or login on Mondaq.com.

Listen to this post

At last week's America's Physician Groups Spring conference in San Diego, California, we listened as physicians and health system leaders described the ways in which they are responding to short and long term challenges to the sustainability of America's healthcare system in its current form. It now stands at a critical juncture, facing challenges such as provider shortages and burnout, increasing concerns around access and cost for pharmaceutical products and other supplies, the increasing burden of managing chronic diseases, rising demand for services across the spectrum from an aging population, and balancing the transition to value-based care models in a predominantly fee-for-service environment.

There was a sense of sobriety among the participants about the frailty of the healthcare system now, particularly in light of the increasing importance of maintaining cybersecurity defenses and ensuring continued availability of pharmaceutical and other medical products in a more tenuous global geopolitical moment, all while combating rising costs and workforce shortages. However, nearly every speaker balanced their concerns with a real sense of opportunity and hope that if we are forced to think in new ways to solve the industry's challenges, we will create innovative solutions that can be adopted and scaled by others in order to create a more sustainable and equitable healthcare system.

Here, we outline the key areas of focus described by leaders at the conference:

Addressing Patient Experience and Expanding Clinical Capabilities with AI Tools

We prepared a separate blog post delving into the substantial discussions around AI tools and their applications from the perspective of patients and caregivers, and with a focus on particular leverage for these applications in value-based care. Providers explained that with ambient listening technologies, clinical decision support tools, remote patient monitoring, targeted identification of patients for preventative care services (like expedited mammograms), asynchronous communications, and collaborative opportunities with clinical social workers to solve for health-related social needs, they are making strides in these areas. As we describe in that article, the group's enthusiasm around AI's capabilities was tempered by the still-developing nature of technology and the ethical/legal concerns that impact its deployment in clinical settings.

Investing in Physician Leadership Training to Support Retention and Quality Improvement

One of the most striking presentations on innovation did not involve AI. Instead, a California federally qualified health center (FQHC) described how its relatively modest efforts to invest in physician leadership development had a hugely positive impact on physician morale, leadership pipeline, retention rates, and overall culture. Specifically, the FQHC reported that the role of local medical directors in its organization had a turnover rate as high as 30% before it adopted this new leadership training program. Those roles now have a retention rate of 100%, and they gave significant insight into their approach.

First, the FQHC identified its goals of fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility among physicians for the organization's quality and care outcomes, creating psychological safety and trust among its physician leaders, and building a sense of camaraderie among all employees. Second, the FQHC applied for and received grant funding to hire outside professional advisors on clinical leadership development. Third, they established a unified training framework and required that all local medical directors participate in the related physician leadership learning activities.

With monthly meetings in which physicians had a few hours of protected time for learning about self-development, clinical leadership, conflict resolution, team-building and related concepts, as well as peer-to-peer networking, the organization created a total cultural shift among physician leaders that has spread to other employees. Physicians reported more comfort in reaching out to colleagues for help, collaborating on issues, a stronger sense of ownership for outcomes, and better competency in managing and resolving conflicts in a team-based care environment. Further, the organization reported that these efforts have had a positive impact on its transition further into value-based care models. With additional training, medical directors have been able to communicate change management processes more effectively and expand buy-in for new strategies and action planning across the team. Finally, the organization reported that they have seen improvements in patient satisfaction scores since implementing the new training program.

Restructuring Physician-Led Teams for Success in Value-Based Care

Speakers at APG focused on the need to support providers in adopting value-based care models and focus on preventative, holistic care that supports all facets of a patient's healthcare needs, improves quality, and reduces the total cost of care. In moving into a value-based model with prepayment elements, providers reported a sense of security and flexibility in caring for patients with a proactive approach when compared to traditional fee-for-service. To support this transition, organizations identified elements of the physician workload that can be safely and appropriately transitioned to others in a team-based care model. For example, care navigators/coordinators, social workers, pharmacists, nurses, and other community health workers may be better positioned to help patients navigate issues impacting their health, including assisting with preventative care appointments, care escalation/navigation, social determinants of health (including transportation support and food, job, and housing security), medication reconciliation/pharmacy access, insurance questions, and so on.

In moving into this model, physician-led teams can rethink their clinic scheduling processes, and focus on identifying high-risk patients with real time data to ensure access and attention is prioritized early for those who need it most. Non-physician staff can add substantial value in coordinating complicated care or social needs and ensuring access to new products and services, like chronic disease management or post-acute care programming. In case studies reported at the conference, addressing social determinants of health needs allowed some organizations to achieve significant reductions in emergency department, inpatient and post-acute care utilization, saving millions.

In support of the transition to team-based care, speakers highlighted the need for robust clinical and non-clinical employee education on the organization's quality and outcomes goals and why change management processes for staffing and workflows mattered and how they would impact the big-picture strategy. They also noted that for all employees involved in value-based care, they were able to achieve provider alignment and reward positive behavioral changes with meaningful financial incentives that were based on the organization's quality and performance goals.

Conclusion

The healthcare industry's future hinges on its ability to innovate in the face of growing challenges. By embracing technology, focusing on sustainability, and fostering partnerships, leaders in the field are paving the way for a healthcare system that is not only more efficient and accessible but also more responsive to the evolving needs of patients and providers alike.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

See More Popular Content From

Mondaq uses cookies on this website. By using our website you agree to our use of cookies as set out in our Privacy Policy.

Learn More

Nation-level interventions included mandated safety stocks, emergency imports, centralized procurement, incentive reforms, and expanded patient engagement in treatment planning .

Title:

Content: Health · Life
How to solve the problem of drug shortage in rural areas?
National Health Commission response
January 07, 2023 17: 26 Source: People 's Daily Online
Beijing, January 7 (Reporter Yan Yan Yan) Today, the joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council held a press conference to introduce the situation of epidemic prevention and control in rural areas and answer questions from the media.
At the press conference, a reporter asked, recently, many township health centers and village health rooms have a shortage of drugs and other problems, how to properly solve?
Nie Chunlei, director of the grass-roots department of the National Health Commission, said that rural areas are the focus of epidemic prevention and control and are also weak links.
The joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council has attached great importance to the prevention and control of the epidemic in rural areas and made a lot of arrangements for deployment.
There is a shortage of medicines and other medical supplies in rural areas, for three reasons: First, the production capacity of individual medicines is insufficient, and the supply is in short supply.
Second, the information between the supply and demand sides is not smooth.
Third, logistics reasons, some purchased drugs can not be delivered in time, resulting in a shortage of drugs.
In response to the shortage of drugs, the state has taken a series of measures, Nie Chunlei said. First, the material support group of the joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council has established a daily dispatch system to coordinate the daily dispatch of drugs and other key medical supplies.
According to the development of the epidemic, priority is given to medical institutions in rural areas, especially in rural areas.
For some drugs that are in short supply, those with insufficient production capacity, actively coordinate and expand production capacity.
Relevant departments have formulated policies to support relevant enterprises to expand production capacity, mobilize the enthusiasm of enterprises, and work overtime to produce relevant drugs.
The second is to strengthen supply and demand docking.
Rural areas have a wide range of points and long supply chains, and if the docking of supply and demand is not smooth, the problems reflected by the grassroots may not be timely feedback.
Local governments are encouraged to focus on procurement.
All localities should strengthen the docking of supply and demand through material support groups to solve the shortage of medicines in a timely manner.
Third, adhere to the combination of Chinese and Western medicine, rational selection of Western medicine, Chinese patent medicine and traditional Chinese medicine decoction.
Local governments, especially in rural areas, should be encouraged to give full play to the characteristics of rural areas, make full use of traditional Chinese medicines, alleviate the problem of insufficient medicines, and reduce the pressure on grass-roots medical care
Nie Chunlei said: "From the current monitoring situation, the shortage of medical supplies is more prominent, but recently with the development of the epidemic and the growth of drug production capacity in various localities, the coordination of material support groups and logistics is smooth, and the local government Strengthen the organization, the problem of drug shortage is gradually improving.
(Editor: Yang Di, Gao Lei)
Related News


Between 2021 and 2024, global medication shortages intensified, affecting a vast array of essential drugs and impacting both developed and developing regions.

In the United States, shortages reached record highs, particularly for sterile injectable generics, cancer chemotherapy agents, emergency and intensive care drugs, central nervous system stimulants, antibiotics, hormonal agents, diabetes medications (such as Ozempic and Mounjaro), and intravenous fluids.

Over half of these shortages lasted more than two years, sometimes affecting hundreds of thousands of patients, notably the elderly and those with chronic or life-threatening illnesses .

Similar patterns were seen worldwide, including severe disruptions to the availability of cardiac, hypertension, thyroid, anesthesia, and tumor drugs in Egypt, and antibiotics and essential chronic medicines in Estonia, Russia, Taiwan, and China .

Low- and middle-income countries experienced profound shortages of WHO-listed essential cancer medicines, amplifying preventable mortality .

The underlying causes of these shortages included supply chain vulnerabilities from concentrated manufacturing in China and India, raw material scarcities, economic pressures, low profit margins for generics, labor disruptions, and a surge in global demand accentuated by public health emergencies and panic buying .

Administrative and reimbursement delays, together with poor coordination among health agencies and pharmaceutical suppliers, further exacerbated the issue .

Healthcare systems responded by increasing stock monitoring, encouraging generic substitution, instituting rationing protocols, improving stakeholder communication, and implementing real-time inventory platforms.

Nation-level interventions included mandated safety stocks, emergency imports, centralized procurement, incentive reforms, and expanded patient engagement in treatment planning .

Patients and caretakers are advised to remain informed through pharmacy notifications, discuss therapeutic alternatives with their healthcare providers, be flexible with brands or formulations, and, where feasible, use compounding pharmacies for individualized medication solutions .

Enhanced communication, early prescription refills, and family advocacy are essential for minimizing risks from supply disruptions.

Outlooks suggest ongoing instability in medicine supplies, and continued vigilance, flexibility, and preparedness remain necessary .

Between 2021 and 2024, global medication shortages intensified, affecting a vast array of essential drugs and impacting both developed and developing regions.

Title:

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

In the United States, shortages reached record highs, particularly for sterile injectable generics, cancer chemotherapy agents, emergency and intensive care drugs, central nervous system stimulants, antibiotics, hormonal agents, diabetes medications (such as Ozempic and Mounjaro), and intravenous fluids.

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. ”

Over half of these shortages lasted more than two years, sometimes affecting hundreds of thousands of patients, notably the elderly and those with chronic or life-threatening illnesses .

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

Similar patterns were seen worldwide, including severe disruptions to the availability of cardiac, hypertension, thyroid, anesthesia, and tumor drugs in Egypt, and antibiotics and essential chronic medicines in Estonia, Russia, Taiwan, and China .

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.

Low- and middle-income countries experienced profound shortages of WHO-listed essential cancer medicines, amplifying preventable mortality .

The underlying causes of these shortages included supply chain vulnerabilities from concentrated manufacturing in China and India, raw material scarcities, economic pressures, low profit margins for generics, labor disruptions, and a surge in global demand accentuated by public health emergencies and panic buying .

Administrative and reimbursement delays, together with poor coordination among health agencies and pharmaceutical suppliers, further exacerbated the issue .

Title:

Content: Lack of medicines in MOH hospitals and accumulation of indebtedness Repercussions / solutions
3 hours ago
Dr. Naeem Malkawi
The problem of shortage of medicines in Jordanian hospitals requires quick and effective attention and intervention, as providing medicines to patients is one of the foundations of quality health care and one of the most important strategies of the Ministry of Health, however, the shortage of medicines in many hospitals leads to health, economic and social challenges that threaten the quality of health care and patient safety.
The budget of the Ministry of Health of medicines, vaccines, vaccines and medical consumables for this year 2023 was estimated at 103.75 million dinars, where the actual for the past year 2022 was 93.8 million dinars.
The question is, how did the Ministry of Health accumulate such a large indebtedness in the item of medicines to reach 300 million dinars for pharmaceutical companies?
And why last week was the debt of 2019 cleared and deducted estimated at 50% of the debt for that year?
This means that there is still a delay in the payment of dues for companies for the years 2020, 2021 and 2022 in addition to eight months of the current year 2023, and this brings us to a range of reasons and challenges:
1.
The aim of the Ministry of Health was to reduce the bureaucracy of procedures and overcome the complexity of procurement references in hospitals and health directorates in the governorates and not to obtain price and discount preferences, but the results indicate a defect in the management and mechanism of dealing with the strategy of unified and central procurement, despite the margin for hospital administrations to use the power of direct purchase in cases of necessity.
2.
Preparation of sub-budgets for hospitals: Evidence shows that there is a problem in the preparation of sub-budgets for hospitals and the main budget of the Ministry of Health with regard to the item of medicines, which is due to the lack of accurate and sufficient data on the number of patients and hospital needs of medicines, and the lack of accurate forecasting of future needs.
3.
Delays in the review of financial claims and invoices between the Ministry of Health and the hospitals on the one hand and the pharmaceutical companies on the other hand, is one of the most important reasons behind the accumulation of indebtedness, and this negatively affects the liquidity of the pharmaceutical companies and hinders them from providing a sustainable service in adhering to the procedures of supplying medicines according to schedule.
4.
Lack of coordination and communication: There may be a lack of coordination and communication between hospitals, the Ministry of Health and pharmaceutical companies, which complicates the supply and distribution of medicines and increases the chances of delays and the depletion of medicines from hospitals in the absence of an effective policy for stock management and the time required for stock adequacy.
5.
Focusing on the trade names of certain drugs from specific production sources and not adopting the protocol of writing the scientific name for the prescriptions of patients.
6.
One of the reasons that may be major and important at the same time is the funding aspect and the lack of the necessary allocations or use them in other aspects other than medicines to fill a deficit or emergency during the use of budget items due to the scarcity of available liquidity. Medication.
Lack of medication can lead to:
1.
Threat to patient safety: Lack of medication puts sick people at risk, as this can lead to delays in receiving necessary treatment or the unavailability of vital drugs, putting their lives at risk.
2.
Economic Implications: The lack of medicines entails additional economic costs for the health system and patients.
Medical cases may be referred to other medical centers or private hospitals, increasing pressure on other MOH budget items.
3.
Pressure on health care workers: Health care workers are under pressure as a result of dealing with patients affected by drug shortages and repeatedly facing their inquiries and complaints.
4.
Social repercussions:
Increased anxiety and stress: A lack of medication can lead to an increase in anxiety and stress among patients and their families, as they live in uncertainty about the availability of the necessary treatment.
Lack of medication can affect the level of trust in the health system among citizens, who may feel that the system is unable to provide them with adequate health care.
Increased costs and social burdens: Some patients may have to incur additional costs to obtain drugs from other sources outside hospitals, affecting their financial and economic status.
After all this narrative there must be ways to overcome these dilemmas:
1.
Preparation of budgets scientifically and professionally: Hospitals should develop more accurate standards for the preparation of sub-budgets for medicines, through the analysis of previous data, estimation of future needs and other scientific and methodological foundations in the preparation of budgets and commitment to apply them accurately.
2.
Improve coordination and communication between parties: Coordination between the Ministry of Health, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies should be strengthened through the establishment of structured mechanisms for information exchange, review of invoices, and completion of claims, and not delay them.
3.
Implementation of fiscal reforms: The Government and the Ministry of Health should implement fiscal reforms that provide funding to cover this important item and pay dues in a timely manner, reduce bureaucracy in the financial audit process, and proceed with payment procedures within the timetable mechanism agreed in the tender terms.
4.
Achieving social responsibility: The government and pharmaceutical companies should adopt a social responsibility towards patients by providing these drugs and reducing their prices in the market to make them more accessible to patients while relieving part of the pressure and burden on hospitals.
Addressing the problem of drug shortages in government hospitals requires comprehensive cooperation between all concerned parties from government, Ministry of Health, hospitals, drug suppliers and patients.
To provide medicines on a permanent basis and to ensure the provision of high quality health care to the Jordanian patient.

Healthcare systems responded by increasing stock monitoring, encouraging generic substitution, instituting rationing protocols, improving stakeholder communication, and implementing real-time inventory platforms.

Title:

Content: Acting Now To Sustain And Improve America's Healthcare System: Advice From Innovative Physicians And Health System Leaders

SM
Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton

Contributor

Sheppard Mullin is a full service Global 100 firm with over 1,000 attorneys in 16 offices located in the United States, Europe and Asia. Since 1927, companies have turned to Sheppard Mullin to handle corporate and technology matters, high stakes litigation and complex financial transactions. In the US, the firm’s clients include more than half of the Fortune 100.
At last week's America's Physician Groups Spring conference in San Diego, California, we listened as physicians and health system leaders described the ways...
United States Food, Drugs, Healthcare, Life Sciences
To print this article, all you need is to be registered or login on Mondaq.com.

Listen to this post

At last week's America's Physician Groups Spring conference in San Diego, California, we listened as physicians and health system leaders described the ways in which they are responding to short and long term challenges to the sustainability of America's healthcare system in its current form. It now stands at a critical juncture, facing challenges such as provider shortages and burnout, increasing concerns around access and cost for pharmaceutical products and other supplies, the increasing burden of managing chronic diseases, rising demand for services across the spectrum from an aging population, and balancing the transition to value-based care models in a predominantly fee-for-service environment.

There was a sense of sobriety among the participants about the frailty of the healthcare system now, particularly in light of the increasing importance of maintaining cybersecurity defenses and ensuring continued availability of pharmaceutical and other medical products in a more tenuous global geopolitical moment, all while combating rising costs and workforce shortages. However, nearly every speaker balanced their concerns with a real sense of opportunity and hope that if we are forced to think in new ways to solve the industry's challenges, we will create innovative solutions that can be adopted and scaled by others in order to create a more sustainable and equitable healthcare system.

Here, we outline the key areas of focus described by leaders at the conference:

Addressing Patient Experience and Expanding Clinical Capabilities with AI Tools

We prepared a separate blog post delving into the substantial discussions around AI tools and their applications from the perspective of patients and caregivers, and with a focus on particular leverage for these applications in value-based care. Providers explained that with ambient listening technologies, clinical decision support tools, remote patient monitoring, targeted identification of patients for preventative care services (like expedited mammograms), asynchronous communications, and collaborative opportunities with clinical social workers to solve for health-related social needs, they are making strides in these areas. As we describe in that article, the group's enthusiasm around AI's capabilities was tempered by the still-developing nature of technology and the ethical/legal concerns that impact its deployment in clinical settings.

Investing in Physician Leadership Training to Support Retention and Quality Improvement

One of the most striking presentations on innovation did not involve AI. Instead, a California federally qualified health center (FQHC) described how its relatively modest efforts to invest in physician leadership development had a hugely positive impact on physician morale, leadership pipeline, retention rates, and overall culture. Specifically, the FQHC reported that the role of local medical directors in its organization had a turnover rate as high as 30% before it adopted this new leadership training program. Those roles now have a retention rate of 100%, and they gave significant insight into their approach.

First, the FQHC identified its goals of fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility among physicians for the organization's quality and care outcomes, creating psychological safety and trust among its physician leaders, and building a sense of camaraderie among all employees. Second, the FQHC applied for and received grant funding to hire outside professional advisors on clinical leadership development. Third, they established a unified training framework and required that all local medical directors participate in the related physician leadership learning activities.

With monthly meetings in which physicians had a few hours of protected time for learning about self-development, clinical leadership, conflict resolution, team-building and related concepts, as well as peer-to-peer networking, the organization created a total cultural shift among physician leaders that has spread to other employees. Physicians reported more comfort in reaching out to colleagues for help, collaborating on issues, a stronger sense of ownership for outcomes, and better competency in managing and resolving conflicts in a team-based care environment. Further, the organization reported that these efforts have had a positive impact on its transition further into value-based care models. With additional training, medical directors have been able to communicate change management processes more effectively and expand buy-in for new strategies and action planning across the team. Finally, the organization reported that they have seen improvements in patient satisfaction scores since implementing the new training program.

Restructuring Physician-Led Teams for Success in Value-Based Care

Speakers at APG focused on the need to support providers in adopting value-based care models and focus on preventative, holistic care that supports all facets of a patient's healthcare needs, improves quality, and reduces the total cost of care. In moving into a value-based model with prepayment elements, providers reported a sense of security and flexibility in caring for patients with a proactive approach when compared to traditional fee-for-service. To support this transition, organizations identified elements of the physician workload that can be safely and appropriately transitioned to others in a team-based care model. For example, care navigators/coordinators, social workers, pharmacists, nurses, and other community health workers may be better positioned to help patients navigate issues impacting their health, including assisting with preventative care appointments, care escalation/navigation, social determinants of health (including transportation support and food, job, and housing security), medication reconciliation/pharmacy access, insurance questions, and so on.

In moving into this model, physician-led teams can rethink their clinic scheduling processes, and focus on identifying high-risk patients with real time data to ensure access and attention is prioritized early for those who need it most. Non-physician staff can add substantial value in coordinating complicated care or social needs and ensuring access to new products and services, like chronic disease management or post-acute care programming. In case studies reported at the conference, addressing social determinants of health needs allowed some organizations to achieve significant reductions in emergency department, inpatient and post-acute care utilization, saving millions.

In support of the transition to team-based care, speakers highlighted the need for robust clinical and non-clinical employee education on the organization's quality and outcomes goals and why change management processes for staffing and workflows mattered and how they would impact the big-picture strategy. They also noted that for all employees involved in value-based care, they were able to achieve provider alignment and reward positive behavioral changes with meaningful financial incentives that were based on the organization's quality and performance goals.

Conclusion

The healthcare industry's future hinges on its ability to innovate in the face of growing challenges. By embracing technology, focusing on sustainability, and fostering partnerships, leaders in the field are paving the way for a healthcare system that is not only more efficient and accessible but also more responsive to the evolving needs of patients and providers alike.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

See More Popular Content From

Mondaq uses cookies on this website. By using our website you agree to our use of cookies as set out in our Privacy Policy.

Learn More

Nation-level interventions included mandated safety stocks, emergency imports, centralized procurement, incentive reforms, and expanded patient engagement in treatment planning .

Title:

Content: Health · Life
How to solve the problem of drug shortage in rural areas?
National Health Commission response
January 07, 2023 17: 26 Source: People 's Daily Online
Beijing, January 7 (Reporter Yan Yan Yan) Today, the joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council held a press conference to introduce the situation of epidemic prevention and control in rural areas and answer questions from the media.
At the press conference, a reporter asked, recently, many township health centers and village health rooms have a shortage of drugs and other problems, how to properly solve?
Nie Chunlei, director of the grass-roots department of the National Health Commission, said that rural areas are the focus of epidemic prevention and control and are also weak links.
The joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council has attached great importance to the prevention and control of the epidemic in rural areas and made a lot of arrangements for deployment.
There is a shortage of medicines and other medical supplies in rural areas, for three reasons: First, the production capacity of individual medicines is insufficient, and the supply is in short supply.
Second, the information between the supply and demand sides is not smooth.
Third, logistics reasons, some purchased drugs can not be delivered in time, resulting in a shortage of drugs.
In response to the shortage of drugs, the state has taken a series of measures, Nie Chunlei said. First, the material support group of the joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council has established a daily dispatch system to coordinate the daily dispatch of drugs and other key medical supplies.
According to the development of the epidemic, priority is given to medical institutions in rural areas, especially in rural areas.
For some drugs that are in short supply, those with insufficient production capacity, actively coordinate and expand production capacity.
Relevant departments have formulated policies to support relevant enterprises to expand production capacity, mobilize the enthusiasm of enterprises, and work overtime to produce relevant drugs.
The second is to strengthen supply and demand docking.
Rural areas have a wide range of points and long supply chains, and if the docking of supply and demand is not smooth, the problems reflected by the grassroots may not be timely feedback.
Local governments are encouraged to focus on procurement.
All localities should strengthen the docking of supply and demand through material support groups to solve the shortage of medicines in a timely manner.
Third, adhere to the combination of Chinese and Western medicine, rational selection of Western medicine, Chinese patent medicine and traditional Chinese medicine decoction.
Local governments, especially in rural areas, should be encouraged to give full play to the characteristics of rural areas, make full use of traditional Chinese medicines, alleviate the problem of insufficient medicines, and reduce the pressure on grass-roots medical care
Nie Chunlei said: "From the current monitoring situation, the shortage of medical supplies is more prominent, but recently with the development of the epidemic and the growth of drug production capacity in various localities, the coordination of material support groups and logistics is smooth, and the local government Strengthen the organization, the problem of drug shortage is gradually improving.
(Editor: Yang Di, Gao Lei)
Related News

Patients and caretakers are advised to remain informed through pharmacy notifications, discuss therapeutic alternatives with their healthcare providers, be flexible with brands or formulations, and, where feasible, use compounding pharmacies for individualized medication solutions .

Title:

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

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

It is understood the shortage impacted some prescription paracetamol products.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

READ NEXT:

Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter

Enhanced communication, early prescription refills, and family advocacy are essential for minimizing risks from supply disruptions.

Title:

Content: Health Hall of Fame / Health Insurance Drug Price Drop 3 Suggestions to Improve Drug Supply Resilience
The recent closure of Yongfeng Chemical Industry by the Food and Drug Administration has led to a shortage of physiological saline and glucose transfusions used in various kinds of operations, kidney dialysis and hospitalization.
Since 2013, China has implemented the Drug Expenses Target System (DET). According to Article 13 of the "Measures for the Price Adjustment of Medicines for National Health Insurance", the drugs are divided into three categories according to the "new and old degree". "Old Medicine".
Sacrificing old drugs affects 80% of patients' rights
However, when the "new" and "old" drugs are adjusted every two years, the price and cost tend to show the trend of "new drugs rise, old drugs disappear", which means that the price of old drugs is sacrificed to meet the growth costs of new drugs or new items.
In addition to chronic diseases drugs, affecting about 80% of patients' drug rights, but also including such drugs as physiological salt water, glucose and other infusions that are listed as war materials, because of the continuous price cutting, it is difficult to profit, resulting in some pharmaceutical companies even if they have drug certificates are unwilling to produce, resulting in oligopoly or even monopoly of the market. The problem will become more and more serious.
It is recommended to improve in the following ways:
First, we should re-examine the current pricing pattern, so that the new drug and the old drug pricing system can be decoupled. Because the situation is changing rapidly, the review and adjustment cycle can be shortened.
2. For old drugs, due to the relative cost and market supply and demand are more stable, and affect the rights and interests of many chronic diseases requiring long-term drugs, it is not appropriate to adjust prices too frequently.
Price warning mechanism should be established for essential drugs
3. If the state defines it as a necessary core drug, a price warning mechanism should be established to adjust the floor price according to quality and demand, so as to take into account the interests of patients and the reasonable profits of pharmaceutical companies, so that pharmaceutical manufacturers can stabilize supply.
Today, the number of pharmaceutical companies holding pharmaceutical certificates is not accurate to assess the toughness of drug supply. Whether it is magnesium oxide in 2022, or various kinds of transfusions in recent days, there are low drug prices, which lead to domestic manufacturers holding pharmaceutical certificates unwilling to produce, which leads to market oligopoly.
More than three pharmaceutical companies supply chronic diseases.
To avoid market oligopoly or even monopoly, for new drugs other than "new" and "old drugs", should be reported annually by pharmaceutical companies for health insurance supply, and appropriately proposed to encourage other pharmaceutical companies to increase production or import.
For holding a drug certificate but no production situation, if there is no legitimate reason for not producing for more than three consecutive years, the health insurance price shall be cancelled and the drug certificate shall be withdrawn.
For those with a relatively large market size for chronic diseases, we should ensure that more than three pharmaceutical companies supply products at the same time through counseling and other mechanisms to increase the resilience of drug supply.
The government should conduct a comprehensive review of the domestic drug supply flexibility and the health insurance drug price approval system. The urgent task is to change the current practice of sacrificing the price of old drugs to supply new drugs. Supply to further ensure the rights of the people of the country to life and health.
Health Insurance Patents
Extended reading
Rare disease SMA medicine "full coverage" health insurance agreement negotiation price, the fastest June proposed meeting
Chiu Tai-yuan promised to set up a cancer fund, but there is a reminder
Prioritize shareholders and shareholders?
Shih Chung-liang: Health insurance premium adjustment has been initiated
How much does the Health Supplement cost?
Maybe the rate is...
Related News
Card box test 5 years of self-driving bus operators
Self-driving car is the imagination of human beings for the future of life, the United States has no one taxi began to trade, China is also opened in Shenzhen, Beijing run, Japan last year to allow L4 class self driving.
The 3C baby's impact last year increased by 10,000.
In 2023, the number of reported cases of delayed children in Taiwan was 34,781, and in 2011 only 15,848, more than doubling in 12 years.
Mackay Hospital Early Childhood Assessment Center
Teacher mask mask mask type fear of child learning
Affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, in recent years, almost no masks have been left. Yeh Yu-ching, a professor and director of research and development at the Department of Early Childhood Education at National Chiayi University,...
Woman hospitalized with pneumonia in her 20s at peak of multiple virus
Recently, influenza, COVID-19, norovirus and other infections are at their peak, and a 20-year-old female patient in Yuanrong Hospital in Changhua County was hospitalized with influenza and pneumonia.
Health Minister Yeh Yen-po said that the current Changhua...
Slugs eaten by mistake: New North Department: Parasitic risk
The slug food safety problem has exploded. After the sushi and shabu-shabu shops in Taipei City, yesterday, a consumer broke the news on Facebook. When eating at a hot pot restaurant on Xintai Road, Xinzhuang District, New Taipei City,...
Love too much, easy to maintain the vacancy language ability "son emperor"
Grandma loves grandkids, it hurts too much, and eventually it may become "honest grandkids", a little boy over two years old can not speak the complete words, only issued "hum", "hunger", "good", "babe" and other words,...
Product recommendation
udn Forum

Outlooks suggest ongoing instability in medicine supplies, and continued vigilance, flexibility, and preparedness remain necessary .