### Comprehensive Report on Global Medication Shortages (2021–2024)

#### Introduction
Medication shortages have become a critical global health issue, affecting both developed and developing nations.

These shortages stem from various causes, including supply chain disruptions, manufacturing delays, and sudden spikes in demand.

This report examines real-world examples of medication shortages between 2021 and 2024, highlighting the drugs affected, the underlying causes, and the responses from healthcare systems and authorities.

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### Case Study 1: Lebanon – Surge in Counterfeit and Smuggled Medications

#### Background
Lebanon has faced a severe medication crisis, characterized by widespread shortages, smuggling, and the infiltration of counterfeit drugs into the market.

This situation has been exacerbated by economic collapse, governance failures, and systemic corruption.

#### Key Issues
- **Counterfeit Drugs**: In early 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a warning about a batch of

### Comprehensive Report on Global Medication Shortages (2021–2024)

#### Introduction
Medication shortages have become a critical global health issue, affecting both developed and developing nations.

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.
Haaretz: West Bank and Gaza face severe and serious shortage of medicines for patients
The Hebrew newspaper Haaretz, on Thursday, June 8, 2023, revealed a severe shortage suffered by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, due to the financial crisis of the Authority.
The West Bank and Gaza Strip are facing a severe and serious shortage of medicines for Palestinian patients, especially patients with chronic and serious diseases, who are difficult to obtain their medicines.
One of the doctors working in the dialysis center at the government hospital in the northern West Bank city of Tubas said that this crisis has been clearly felt for several weeks, and patients come from several areas to get medicines for dialysis patients and we have no way to help them, pointing out that there are those who have the ability to buy these medicines, but the vast majority of the population does not have this ability.
A senior PA official told the Hebrew daily that the shortage of medicines in the West Bank stems from three main reasons: the inability of the PA and the Ministry of Health to pay regularly to suppliers, as well as the strike of pharmacists in medical centers and hospitals for not receiving full salaries, in addition to the closure by UNRWA in recent months of medical centers run in refugee camps due to budget shortages.
This is in addition to the fact that the PA ’ s entire budget is based on tax money collected by Israel, which barely covers payroll expenses, including in the Ministry of Health, and since Israel deducts hundreds of millions of tax funds, the PA does not have the capacity to fund the PA ’ s ministry budget, the official said.
According to Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), there has been a dozens of percent jump in the number of Palestinian patients who have arrived in recent weeks at the mobile clinic that runs PHR in the West Bank, and a sharp increase in demand for medicines.
The data indicates that on Saturday, 251 Palestinians out of 2,500 living in the village of Madma in Nablus arrived at the mobile clinic to obtain medicines and receive treatment, and during a medical day held in Beta in Nablus last month, 405 patients came to the clinic, double the number of patients who used to come from that area in previous periods.
The association pointed out that due to the severe shortage of medicines, recent weeks have seen an increase in requests received from Palestinian medical teams and mayors of cities and villages in the West Bank to distribute medicines and medical equipment, including medicines for patients with dialysis, diabetes, blood pressure and others.
In the Gaza Strip, the Ministry of Health issued warnings about the consequences of the shortage of medicines for kidney patients, noting that 1,200 patients are at risk of stopping their treatment due to severe shortages of essential medicines and medical equipment.

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Content: A CORK TD has raised concerns about shortages of HRT medication for women experiencing menopause.

Socialist Party TD Mick Barry said the State was slow to act on the HRT medication shortage, with pharmacies “inundated” with women seeking treatments for symptoms associated with menopause. Mr Barry said shortages of HRT medication were first reported late last year, with the situation unresolved nearly five months on.

“The Irish healthcare system has a history of treating women as second-class citizens and the recent fiasco with the supply of menopause treatments has to be seen in that light,” he said.

“We have a chief medical officer and even a chief veterinary officer already. Maybe it’s time for a chief pharmacy officer? Either way it’s clear that the State has to take women’s healthcare more seriously and act more decisively to resolve the HRT shortages issue,” he said.

An Irish Pharmacy Union spokesperson told The Echo: “Pharmacies are reporting an increase in demand for HRT. This is being driven by increased public awareness of the benefits of HRT to treat symptoms of menopause.

“There have been supply issues with a number of different HRT products at different points in time over the last couple of years. In the event that any medicine is in short supply or otherwise unavailable, pharmacists will frequently suggest a suitable alternative for the patient where one is available and will have a discussion with the prescriber to outline the options. However, due to the nature of HRT shortages, alternatives have not always been consistently available.”

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Content: Minister of Health: There is no shortage of medicines and supplies and we are working on rationalization and rationalization
Wednesday ، 26 October 2022 05: 11 PM
Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar Minister of Health
Noor on
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Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Health, stressed that there is no shortage of medicines and medical supplies, pointing out that there is a global shortage as a result of a shortage in supply chains due to the failure of factories to operate with the same efficiency due to Coronavirus.
He added at the ministry level that we transferred the financial commitments to the Unified Procurement Authority in order to be able to get everything we need, adding: "We are working on rationalization and rationalization in light of the global shortage in supply chains and coordinate on a daily basis with the Drug Authority to review all medicines."
In response to the demands of some deputies to allow medical staff to take vacations in accordance with the Civil Service Law, the Minister of Health asked how the situation is evaluated and there is a shortage of doctors in health institutions and allow vacations, saying: "The need to work is first of all, wondering how we have a shortage and at the same time open vacations, stressing that 50% of the force that we complain of inadequacy will not exist."
He pointed to the formation of a higher committee with all specialized professors to review the treatment protocols, pointing out that if the treatment protocol is changed, it is done without prejudice to the treatment received by the patient.
This came during the comment of Dr. Khalid Abdul Ghaffar, Minister of Health in the plenary session of the House of Representatives on the requests for briefing, questions and discussion, which amounted to nearly one hundred surveillance tools today.
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Content: Balambri: Insulin contraceptives and eye drops...
Few Medicines in Algeria
The President of the National Union of Private Pharmacists, Massoud Belambri, confirmed the scarcity of many medicines in Algeria.
Similar to eye drops, insulin, birth control pills, some types of anti-inflammatory drugs, and hormones.
Massoud Belambri said in an interview with the national radio Setif that the concern in scarcity is related to imported medicines, because it takes time to re-provide them.
The same spokesman stressed that there is a fluctuation in the availability of insulin despite the import of quantities of it, but the suffering has been continuous for more than a year, pointing out that a laboratory dominates the global and local market by 80%, at least three laboratories supply Algeria with insulin.
The head of the National Syndicate added: “According to the information available to us, the start of production of insulin locally will be in the first half of the year 2023. ”
“In the first phase, 50 percent of the national needs will be covered with the entry into service of the three insulin production projects in Algeria (Constantine, Boufarik and Oued Samar). ”
In a different context, Belambri said: “Conditional sale of medicines has decreased compared to previous years thanks to the interaction of pharmacists.
“Reporting via the digital platform of the Ministry of Pharmaceutical Industry, and we regret that the distributors did not denounce the practices of laboratories. ”
He continued the same spokesman by saying: "The conditional sale is caused by scarcity if drugs are available in the necessary quantities when resorted to any party to the conditional sale neither the informant nor the producer nor the importer nor the distributor," stressing that the elimination of conditional sale is the provision of medicines, tightening control, and recourse to professional ethics and responsibility.
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Content: Ireland has been suffering a paracetamol shortage as cases of Covid-19 and the winter flu in the country soared over the festive and new year period.

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

It is understood the shortage impacted some prescription paracetamol products.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Content: The Ministry of Health and Welfare yesterday announced the establishment of the "Drug Supply Notification Processing Center" and announced the situation of drug shortage for the first time today. According to the Food and Drug Administration, a total of 22 drug shortages were reported between March 25 and April 4, of which 7 were found to have no shortage, 12 were recommended to use alternative drugs, and 1 was launched for no alternative drugs.
However, first-line pharmacists have been slow to respond to the expansion of the drug shortage center, pointing out that there is still a shortage of two to three drugs per day, indicating that the new system has not changed much after the road.
As many as 12 missing drugs are recommended to be replaced by alternatives, including Yuanzhou Ginkgo Ning Tablets 40mg for terminal hemorrhagic disorders, Anxiety Disorder Tablets 30mg, Gastric ulcer Tablets 30mg, Gastrointestinal spasmodic Tablets 10mg, etc.
However, some hospital pharmacists revealed to this newspaper, the Ministry of Health and Welfare "drug supply notification processing center" was established, the immediate impact on the lack of drugs is not large, now there is an average of 2 to 3 drugs per day shortage, yesterday on the road of the lack of drug platform is just another website statistics, "the Food and Drug Administration and its re-statistics of lack of drugs, can be more active, sorting really in the production of medical Agency inquiry? ”
In addition, the back-line antibiotics produced by Merck 1 gram recently also announced that it will withdraw from the Taiwan market, many medical institutions were informed in March that they will no longer supply, due to the fact that no famous drugs are available in China, so that hospitals are worried that they will be available in 1 or 2 months.
Ertapenem Sodium is a common carbapenem antibiotic. Although it is a back-line antibiotic, it is a narrow type of product, so it is usually the first choice of back-line antibiotics. In the future, if manufacturers no longer supply it, hospitals can only use broad-effect antibiotics. Infection control has a negative impact.
Huang Jingtai describes that in the future, if you can't use Yimen treatment, the treatment of bacterial infection will lead to a "bullknife", adding the possibility of future bacterial resistance. Although there are still stocks in the hospital, it is likely to not last this year.
In addition, another antibiotic, Tainin, which is also produced by Merck, has long been withdrawn from the Taiwan market, so infection doctors are worried that they will only be used in the later stage of antibiotics in the future, forming a vicious circle.
Yang Bowen, director of the pharmaceutical division of the Food and Drug Administration, responded that Yimanzhi had notified as early as July last year that due to the decline in foreign production capacity and the increase in the cost of raw materials, the supply of controlled goods was changed, and whether Yimanzhi would withdraw from Taiwan?
Through the internal evaluation of Charmer Shadong, even if the final exit will wait half a year before the market, plus there is a domestic pharmaceutical factory can produce famous drugs, it should not cause too much impact.
# Drugs # Lack of Drugs # Antibiotics # Shortage # Food and Drug Administration

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Content: Egyptian News
Mohsen Hassan for DMC: Solving the Drug Shortage Crisis in the Next Few Weeks
Ahmed Wael Omar - Cairo on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 12: 36 AM - Dr. Mohsen Hassan, director of the commercial sector in one of the pharmaceutical companies in Egypt, said that in 2019 the Egyptian Drug Authority was established, a historic leap in the Egyptian pharmaceutical industry, pointing out that there are procedures to ensure the quality, effectiveness and safety of the drug starting from the raw material where it is analyzed more than once.
Mohsen Hassan added during an interview with the program "evening dmc", on the channel dmc, that the production processes of the drug are analyzed more than analysis, and the random withdrawal of the can inside the pharmacy, and change the raw material takes the same steps as the previous one again, and the matter has a large control percentage.
Mohsen Hassan stressed that after the state provided the dollar, it is now available to buy any raw materials, and the shortage of medicine is on the way to solve in the next few weeks, pointing out that the guarantee of the quality of the Egyptian product as a medicine is compared to the "brand".
He pointed out that the pharmaceutical companies are committed to any legislation or decisions of the medical authorities, which is an important part of the medical system and we have a great role in providing high quality treatment and a suitable price for the Egyptian patient, stressing that the Egyptian medicine during the recent period is comparable to foreign medicines, and 90% of the cans sold in the Egyptian market are produced by Egyptian companies.
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Content: PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Concern is mounting after shortages of Adderall, a prescription medication used by both children and adults with ADHD, have gotten increasingly sparse since the quantities dropped several months ago.

The FDA says the shortage will resolve – but not until sometime in April.

Demand has skyrocketed, and while there are several alternative prescription medications, many of them are also in short supply.

Drug manufacturers say they can’t just make more of the medication because the FDA and the Drug Enforcement Administration limit the active ingredients, amphetamines, which can be abused and cause addiction. Even patients are limited in how much they can get at a time.

OHSU Psychiatrist Dr. James Hancey, who prescribes the medication, said finding the medicine is challenging because patients have to contact their doctor’s office to receive a prescription.

“It’s not one you can just walk around with to shop around for who might have the medication,” Hancey said.

There are some over-the-counter medications that some doctors are recommending as a way to get by, but Dr. Hansey said they are often not strong enough.

The shortage has been especially tough on kids who are prescribed ADHD medication to help them concentrate in school. Parents want to help their children, but are really frustrated.

There’s also concern that teenagers and adults could instead seek what could be deadly counterfeit drugs.

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Content: 2 major drugs are in short supply, FDA says. Both are widely prescribed to children.

NEW!

Drug shortages continue in the U.S., even as the COVID-19 pandemic nears the end of its third year.

Two drugs commonly prescribed to children — Adderall and liquid amoxicillin — recently joined the list, the Food and Drug Administration says.

The FDA announced last month that it was talking to manufacturers about a shortage of Adderall, the combination drug of amphetamine mixed salts used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Parents are also discovering liquid amoxicillin — an important antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections — is in short supply, according to the FDA. It added the oral solution of the antibiotic to its list of drug shortages on Oct. 28.

Both drugs are widely used by children as well as adults. The amoxicillin shortage comes at a vulnerable time, as we enter cold and flu season and U.S. hospitals continue to fill with respiratory infections. Amoxicillin is often used to treat ear infections and bronchitis.

The reason for the shortages? The FDA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. However, the agency cited a few factors on its website, including quality and manufacturing issues.

“There have been other reasons such as production delays at the manufacturer and delays companies have experienced receiving raw materials and components from suppliers,” the agency says. “Discontinuations are another factor contributing to shortages.

“FDA can’t require a firm to keep making a drug it wants to discontinue. Sometimes these older drugs are discontinued by companies in favor of newer, more profitable drugs.”

For a list of all drugs currently in short supply, visit FDA.gov.

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Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com.

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Content: Preface
Article 76 of the Patent Law, the Measures for the Implementation of the Early Resolution Mechanism for Drug Patent Disputes (Trial Implementation) and the Provisions of the Supreme People ’ s Court on Several Issues Concerning the Application of Law in Civil Cases of Patent Disputes Related to Drugs for Registration (Judicial Interpretation of Drug Patent Disputes) jointly build an early resolution system for drug patent disputes in China.
However, how to apply these provisions to deal with drug patent disputes is very controversial in practice.
Article 52-58 of the “Summary of Judgments of the Intellectual Property Court of the Supreme People ’ s Court (2023) ” issued by the Supreme People ’ s Court on February 23, 2024, refers to several pharmaceutical patent linkage litigation cases and elaborates a number of adjudication rules.
These rules involve many aspects of pharmaceutical patent linkage litigation, which is of great significance for pharmaceutical companies and their agents to deal with pharmaceutical patent linkage cases in the future.
I hereby write an article to make some introduction and interpretation of these cases and their rules of adjudication.
First, the basic function of the case - interpretation of the law
The author read through the "Supreme People's Court Intellectual Property Court Judgment Summary (2023)" involved in drug patent linkage case adjudication documents, the biggest feeling is that the most important thing in handling drug patent linkage cases is the basic function of the law - interpretation and application of the law.
In these cases, the parties often dispute not technical facts, but how to understand and apply the relevant legal provisions of the early resolution mechanism of drug patent disputes.
In these cases, the Supreme People's Court used a variety of methods of legal interpretation to clarify legal rules, make decisions, and settle disputes.
For example, in case No. 1233 of the Supreme Court of the People ’ s Republic of China (2023), the Supreme People ’ s Court used legal interpretation methods such as system interpretation and purpose interpretation to interpret “generic drugs ” as generic drugs that have already been listed in China, and“ related patents ” as corresponding to generic drugs that have been listed in China in Article 76 (1) of the Patent Law. Patents registered on the Patent Information Registration Platform.
For example, in the Supreme Court of the People 's Republic of China (2023) case No. 7, the Supreme People' s Court, in interpreting the provisions of Article 5 of the Measures for the Implementation of Drug Patent Disputes, "the holders of the listing license of chemical drugs may register patents for active ingredient compounds, pharmaceutical compositions containing active ingredients, and pharmaceutical use patents" on the platform of listed drugs in China. The type of patent involved.
For example, in the (2023) Supreme Legal Knowledge Minzhu No. 4 case, the application time for generic drugs involved is June 23, 2021, at this time, although the new "Patent Law" has been implemented, but the implementation measures for drug patent disputes have not yet been implemented, the patent information registration platform has not been officially operated, and the generic drug applicant has not made a declaration on the patent information registration platform according to Article 6 of the drug patent dispute implementation measures.
The patentee of a limited company filed a lawsuit, but could not submit the four types of declarations stipulated in Article 3 of the judicial interpretation of drug patent disputes, so the case involved whether the plaintiff's lawsuit met the conditions for filing the case.
The Supreme People's Court has explained that for generic drugs that apply for registration before the implementation of the Measures for the Implementation of Drug Patent Disputes after the implementation of the Patent Law, the parties concerned may file lawsuits in accordance with the provisions of Article 76, paragraph 1, of the Patent Law, and not on the premise that the implementation of the Measures for the Implementation of Drug Patent Disputes and the relevant conditions therefor are met.
The case also raises important questions of legal interpretation.
In short, although drug patent linkage cases involve technical facts such as drugs and patents, the ability to interpret and apply the law is still an important basic skill.
The interpretation of the law in this case is discussed below in the context of the Piper Cecil case.
II. LEGAL INTERPRETATION IN THE PIBERSILI CASE
On June 30, 2021, the patentee, a limited company, registered the patent as a related patent for Piperoxilli capsules in 75 mg, 100 mg and 125 mg sizes. On September 6, 2022, the company registered the related patent as a related patent for Piperoxilli tablets in 25 mg and 125 mg sizes.
The generic name Piperbicillin tablet is the original drug form, the indication is breast cancer, and the specification is 75mg Piperbicillin tablet is not listed in China.
On April 12, 2022, the State Drug Administration accepted the application of a pharmaceutical company related to generic drugs, namely piperoxillin tablets with a specification of 75mg, and a pharmaceutical company made a declaration on the patent information registration platform that there is no relevant patent information for generic drugs in the patent information registration platform.
A limited company filed a drug patent link lawsuit, requesting confirmation that the technical scheme of the generic drug involved in the application of a pharmaceutical company for registration fell within the scope of patent claims 1-4. The facts and reasons are: The patent information of the patent involved is registered and published on the patent information registration platform on June 30, 2021.
The patent in question is a compound patent, and the scope of protection covers all dosage forms of drugs containing the active ingredient of piperbicillin, including piperbicillin capsules and piperbicillin tablets.
Therefore, the patent involved obviously belongs to the related pharmaceutical patent of piperoxillin tablets.
The generic drug involved in the case of a pharmaceutical company and its reference preparation used, that is, the piperoxilli tablet of a pharmaceutical group, have the same active ingredients and completely fall into the protection scope of the patent claims 1-4 involved.
A pharmaceutical company knows that the patent involved, as a related drug patent of the generic drug Piperoxilli, has been registered and published on the patent information registration platform, and knows that the patent involved covers the generic drug involved in the application for registration, so a kind of declaration made by a pharmaceutical company is false and inaccurate.
The defendant, a pharmaceutical company, argued that for a pharmaceutical company to apply for a specification of 75 mg of piperoxillin tablets, there is currently no corresponding generic drug and its patent information on the patent information registration platform.
Therefore, a pharmaceutical company can make only one type of declaration for the generic drugs involved in this specification.
The court of first instance found that a pharmaceutical company had made a class one declaration and that a limited company had failed to submit a class four declaration and that its complaint was not admissible, and accordingly dismissed its complaint.
A limited company appealed, holding that:
• The "generic drug" mentioned in Article 6 of the Measures for the Implementation of Drug Patent Disputes is not limited to the drugs approved for listing. In this case, the original drug of a pharmaceutical group with a specification of 75mg of piperoxillin tablets is a generic drug (Note: the drug is not listed in mainland China);
• Patents registered in the Patent Information Platform may be “related pharmaceutical patents ”;
• A type of statement made by a pharmaceutical company is false and inaccurate.
The focus of the second trial is:
• How to understand the implementation of drug patent disputes in the first paragraph of article 6 of the Measures for the Implementation of Drug Patent Disputes referred to as "making a declaration for each related drug patent of the generic drug", whether it is appropriate for a pharmaceutical company to make a type of declaration;
• How to understand the specific meaning of "related patents" in Article 76 (1) of the Patent Law, and whether the prosecution of a limited company meets the conditions stipulated in Article 76 of the Patent Law.
First, the Supreme People's Court uses the System Interpretation Method 2.
Article 2, Article 4 (1) and Article 6 (1) of the Implementing Measures for Drug Patent Disputes shall be interpreted in a systematic manner. Article 6 (1) of the Implementing Measures for Drug Patent Disputes The term "generic drug" shall be interpreted as a generic drug already listed in China, and the term "relevant drug patent" shall be interpreted as corresponding to the generic drug already listed in China. Patents on the Patent Information Registration Platform.
In addition, the first paragraph of Article 76 of the Patent Law is systematically interpreted with the first paragraph of Article 2 of the judicial interpretation of drug patent disputes and the measures for the implementation of drug patent disputes, so that the "relevant patent" as mentioned in the first paragraph of Article 76 of the Patent Law is interpreted as a patent registered on the patent information registration platform corresponding to the generic drug already listed in China.
Second, the Supreme People's Court uses the purpose of interpretation method 3
The purpose of this special mechanism is to solve the patent disputes that may result from the generic drug entering the production and operation after the generic drug is approved in advance, and give the original drug patent holder and the generic drug applicant to be listed in the generic drug review and approval stage. The right to sue at the examination and approval stage, while protecting the patent right of original research drugs, encourages the development of generic drugs and improves the accessibility of drugs.
The early resolution mechanism for drug patent disputes is not the only way to resolve drug patent disputes, and the scope of drug patents applicable to this special mechanism cannot be arbitrarily expanded in principle. Therefore, the "relevant patent" as mentioned in Article 76 (1) of the Patent Law shall be understood as a patent registered on the Patent Information Registration Platform corresponding to the generic drugs already listed in China.
Based on the conclusion of the above legal interpretation, the Supreme People 's Court held that because piperoxillin tablets and piperoxillin capsules are different forms of drugs, a limited company filed a lawsuit against a pharmaceutical company to confirm whether the generic piperoxillin tablets have fallen into the scope of patent protection. Therefore, the prosecution of a limited company does not meet the conditions stipulated in Article 76 of the Patent Law.
In summary, the Supreme People 's Court' s logic is that because the original research drug Piperoxillin tablets with a specification of 75mg are not listed in China, and the patent information registration platform does not register the original research drug Piperoxillin tablets with a specification of 75mg and related patent information. the conditions set out in Article.
At this point, the Supreme People ’ s Court ’ s rules in this case have been very clear: the original drug patentee or interested parties in accordance with the provisions of Article 76 of the Patent Law to file a drug patent link lawsuit is a prerequisite: the original drug has been listed in China, the patent information platform registers the original drug and its related patent information, and the generic drug applicant makes or should make four types of declarations.
However, the Supreme People's Court did not end the discussion of "this court's opinion", but further elaborated on another paragraph of the first instance ruling, holding that in the case of the original drug with only a specification difference with the generic drug has been registered in the patent information registration platform, the generic drug applicant should in principle make a declaration against the relevant patent registered under the other specifications of the generic drug, and can not make a class declaration.
According to this discussion, assuming that the patentee has registered the original research drug Piperoxilli tablet with the specification of 25mg and its related patent information on the patent information registration platform, the generic drug applicant should make a declaration against the relevant patent of the original research drug Piperoxilli tablet with the specification of 75mg when submitting the application for listing of the generic drug Piperoxilli tablet.
Further, if the generic applicant wants to challenge the original drug, it should make four types of declarations.
In this case, the patentee can file a drug patent link lawsuit.
Compared with the previous author's summary of the judgment view, this judgment view is more favorable for the original research and drug factory.
In summary, we can draw the following conclusions from the Supreme People ’ s Court ’ s reasoning:
If the original research drug is listed in China and the patent information registration platform registers the original research drug and its related patent information, the generic drug applicant with different dosage forms may make a class declaration. The original research drug patentee has no right to file a lawsuit in accordance with Article 76 of the Patent Law. Article 16: Litigation (assuming that the generic drug applicant makes four types of declarations).
This case makes the author have the following questions: What is the difference between Piperbicillin tablets and Piperbicillin capsules? Will the listing of generic Piperbicillin tablets affect the market share of the original drug Piperbicillin capsules?
If the hypothesis has an impact, should the patentee of the original drug piperoxillin capsule be allowed to resolve the patent dispute between the patentee of the original drug piperoxillin capsule and the applicant for the marketing license of the generic drug piperoxillin capsule through the early resolution mechanism of the drug patent dispute?
III. Examining the Early Resolution Mechanism of Pharmaceutical Patent Disputes in China through the Piperoxilli Case
A limited company's 75mg, 100mg, 125mg three specifications of Piperoxilli capsules have been listed in mainland China, and relevant patents have been registered on the patent information registration platform.
A pharmaceutical company applied for the listing of 75 mg of the generic drug piperbicillin. The generic drug piperbicillin tablets and the original drug piperbicillin capsules have the same active ingredients, and the efficacy should be roughly the same.
In order to prevent this result, a limited company intends to use the early resolution mechanism of drug patent disputes to delay the listing of generic piperoxillin tablets.
It is not difficult to understand why it is necessary to interpret the "generic drug" mentioned in Article 6 of the Measures for the Implementation of Pharmaceutical Patent Disputes as not limited to drugs approved for listing in China, but also to include the original research drug Piperoxilli, which is not listed in China with a specification of 75mg.
The Supreme People's Court used the system interpretation and purpose interpretation methods to interpret "generic drugs" as generic drugs listed in China, and found that a pharmaceutical company made a class statement was not improper, and a limited company's lawsuit did not comply with the provisions of Article 76 of the Patent Law.
This interpretation is consistent with the basic principles and rules of legal interpretation.
However, the result of this interpretation is that the patentee of the original drug piperbicillin capsule is powerless in the face of the potential harm to the market caused by the application for listing of the generic drug piperbicillin tablet, and cannot use the early resolution mechanism of the drug patent dispute to resolve the patent dispute between the patentee and the generic drug piperbicillin tablet listing license applicant.
Is this situation in line with the legislative purpose of Article 76 of the Patent Law and the legislative purpose of Article 1 of the Measures for the Implementation of Drug Patent Disputes - "to protect the legitimate rights and interests of drug patentees, encourage new drug research and promote the development of high-level generic drugs"?
Assuming that this situation does not meet the legislative purpose, how should we further improve the specific provisions of the measures for the implementation of drug patent disputes or how to better interpret and apply the measures for the implementation of drug patent disputes to avoid this situation?
A further question is, what is the legislative purpose of Article 76 of the Patent Law?
Measures for the Implementation of Drug Patent Disputes Article 1: What is the meaning of the legislative purpose of "protecting the legitimate rights and interests of drug patentees, encouraging new drug research and promoting the development of high-level generic drugs", and how to interpret and determine the legislative purpose of these legal norms?
These issues are worth discussing and thinking about.
IV. CASE INSPECTION
Although the thinking on the relevant issues can continue, but the Supreme People's Court's decision has come out, the industry should respect this decision, but also from the judgment to find some enlightenment.
For the original research drug factory, it is necessary to fully understand the impact of the above ruling rules of the Supreme People's Court on the original research drug.
If you want to give full play to the early resolution mechanism of drug patent disputes, you should market multiple dosage forms of original drug as soon as possible in China and register the patents related to the original drug on the patent information registration platform, so as to delay the listing of various dosage forms of generic drug approval process.
Of course, if the early resolution mechanism of drug patent disputes cannot be used to delay the approval process of the listing application of generic drugs, then you can also file an ordinary patent infringement lawsuit against the generic drug factory after the State Drug Administration has approved the listing application of generic drugs, and request the court to conduct preservation, that is, issue an injunction to prohibit the listing of generic drugs.
For generic pharmaceutical companies, the above ruling rules of the Supreme People's Court can be fully utilized.
If the original research drug factory has a variety of dosage forms of original research drugs listed abroad, and only individual dosage forms listed in the country, then the generic drug factory can apply in the country the original research drug factory has been listed abroad and not listed in the country, there is no need to worry about the listing application approval process of generic drugs delayed due to the early resolution mechanism of drug patent disputes.
However, the application and the original drug formulation of the same but different specifications of the generic drugs on the market, the situation is completely different, the application approval process is likely to be delayed due to the early resolution mechanism of drug patent disputes.
Note:
1 See Supreme People ’ s Court ’ s (2023) Supreme Court Civil Ruling No. 1233.
2 system interpretation refers to the interpretation and determination of a law or a law in the meaning of a word, to have a holistic and systematic thinking, to put the law or words in the whole legal system, combined with the context for a logical self-consistent, coherent interpretation.
The purpose of interpretation means that when interpreting and determining the meaning of a law or a word in a law, it must be interpreted in conjunction with the legislative purpose of the law or the article of the law, and it must be interpreted in line with the legislative purpose, and the result of the interpretation cannot be contrary to the legislative purpose.
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.

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

Title:

Content: December 15, 2022
15 December 2022 ° C
50 medicines missing in Algeria, rare reasons
+ - 0 Read
President of the National Union of Private Pharmacists, Massoud Belambri, revealed that about 50 pharmaceutical brands are missing in Algeria, expressing regret that the regulation of the pharmaceutical market in Algeria has not been reached, despite efforts, legal reforms, inspection, control and reporting.
He explained that the scarcity of medicines is due to internal and external reasons, as the international market recorded a scarcity of medicines, such as paracetamol and amoxicillin, due to the scarcity of raw materials (which are included in medicines) and their high prices, and the countries producing raw materials give priority to their local market.
At the national level, the same speaker explained that the scarcity of medicines is linked to some legal texts that are not in line with the market, and the behavior of some drug distributors who "have turned into large wholesalers and suppliers of other distributors, and this behavior caused a great disruption in the distribution of medicines.
The radio guest called on the concerned authorities to take measures to avoid aggravating the situation.
By reviewing the prices of some drugs to ensure their availability and continued manufacture on the market.
He stressed that there is a fluctuation in the availability of insulin (despite the import of quantities of it, but the suffering has continued for more than a year.
On the other hand, the President of the Syndicate was surprised by the withdrawal of medicines from the national market and despite the publication of this list, doctors still prescribe them in the prescriptions, and here it must be pointed out the importance of coordination, communication and updating information.
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Title:

Content: MP Dr. Hassan Jawhar criticized the lack of medicines in the Ministry of Health’s warehouses, which he noted threatens the lives of patients. According to an Arab daily, the MP called on the Health Minister to address the matter.

He was quoted saying that the MOH is witnessing these imbalances after the ministry’s budget reached nearly 3 billion dinars, adding that there is an interruption, not a shortage, of more than two thousand types of vital medicines, which could counter heart disease, diabetes, blood pressure, including special medicines in intensive care and children.

Dr. Jawhar said that the matter is closely related to the state of corruption that the ministry was previously witnessing, while pointing out that these saturated files affect the lives of citizens and residents alike. He also referred to the random decisions in the drug control affairs sector and the serious defect in the drug registration system, such as waiting for complete expiration of medicines before ordering new supplies. The MP also commented on the withdrawal of Gustav Hospital, which specializes in cancer treatment in Kuwait, calling on the MOH to remedy the situation quickly and with direct agreement between the Ministry, particularly in managing the hospital without the need for an intermediary or agent.

Read Today's News TODAY... on our Telegram Channel click here to join and receive all the latest updates t.me/thetimeskuwait

These shortages stem from various causes, including supply chain disruptions, manufacturing delays, and sudden spikes in demand.

Title:

Content: Skip to main content

FDA Announces Shortage of Crucial Drug

Teva and the FDA seem to have differing views on what is causing the shortage.
  • Author:
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On and off "manufacturing delays" at Teva Pharmaceutical  (TEVA)  are the reason for the Adderall shortage that has been going on in America in recent weeks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said this week.

Meanwhile, the company told ABC News that while they are experiencing "intermittent backorders" they are also manufacturing/distributing at the same rate or greater than they were at the same time last year.

According to the company, the supply is the same as it was a year ago but "demand is not."

Amphetamine mixed salts, including Adderall, are FDA-approved for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy.

The FDA says that while there is a shortage, there are alternative therapies, including the extended-release version of amphetamine mixed salts that are available to health care professionals.

To combat the shortage, the FDA says it is monitoring supply and will assist manufacture

Manufacturing delays have forced the FDA to announce a shortage of Adderall or Adderall IR for:

  • 100 count 12.5mg
  • 100 count 15mg
  • 100 count 10mg
  • 100 count 20mg
  • 100 count 30mg

Those prescriptions are on backorder and recovery isn't expected until March 2023.

Adderall Tablets 10mg 100 counts are on backorder with inventory expected to recover this month. 5mg 100 counts will be available again in November.

Rising Demand

There has been an Adderall shortage since at least the summer, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and since the shortage has been hitting generic drug makers like Sandoz, Amneal Pharmaceuticals , and Rhodes Pharmaceuticals (which is a subsidiary of Purdue Pharma), the issue can't just be with Teva.

Between the three of them, the companies sell just over half of all the generic extended-release Adderall in the U.S., Bloomberg reported citing data from Symphony Health.

Israel-based Teva sells more Adderall in the U.S. than any other company.

The National Community Pharmacists Association conducted a survey between July 25 and August 5, with 64% of the 358 respondents saying Adderall was on backorder.

The rise in prescriptions in the U.S. has been attributed to more diagnoses and greater availability of the drug.

Earlier in the year, a Teva spokesperson told Bloomberg that the Adderall delay was a result of a labor shortage.

Teva's Manufacturing Issues

A year ago around this time, Teva announced that it was stopping production at its Irvine, Calif. facility after recalling more than 2.5 million vials of drugs that it said may not be sterile.

The company said the drug vials may have contained mold contamination stemming from water leaks. U.S. inspectors discovered the issue at the company's production plant in Irvine.

The company has temporarily stopped drug production at the facility and says that it is reviewing the concerns raised by the Food and Drug Administration, according to the company's response to Bloomberg.

Title:

Content: The Egyptian alternative is not available.. and the importer increased 150% search for insulin..
A journey of misery that threatens the lives of diabetic patients
5.
There is no voice louder than the cries of patients who have failed to get their medicine.. The crisis of lack of medicines continues and haunting patients and threatening their lives.. The most prominent shortcomings of insulin.. In the new republic, access to insulin has become a difficult dream.
Insulin disappeared from pharmacies.. The Right to Medicine Association also received many complaints about the lack of insulin in public hospitals and health insurance clinics in the provinces.
Some patients resorted to the ambulance pharmacy in search of insulin, which is dispensed in specific quantities after providing a modern prescription and analysis proving the patient's diabetes, which prompted citizens to crowd in front of the ambulance pharmacy in long queues to buy those shortcomings after they disappeared from all pharmacies.
The lack of insulin prompted a number of patients to share their suffering on the social networking site Facebook and wondered where it was available.
The price of imported insulin pen rose from 62 pounds to 100 pounds and then 150 pounds up to 192 pounds.. The local price reaches 40 pounds, but it is not available only in the ambulance pharmacy and the patient spends one pen after submitting the prescription and a copy of the card and the analysis that proves the disease.
The crisis is not limited to pharmacies and government and university hospitals, but there is a shortage of insulin in health insurance pharmacies.
Many diabetic patients have complained of not being able to dispense their monthly treatment due to the lack of insulin.. The patient also has to pass through many pharmacies on a long journey to dispense his treatment and there are some pharmacies that dispense half the dose only because of the existing shortage.
The government held several meetings to discuss the drug shortage crisis and promised to solve it within a week.
The crisis prompted a number of deputies to submit requests for a briefing in the House of Representatives on the crisis of the shortage of medicines for chronic diseases such as heart, pressure and diabetes … and accused the Unified Procurement Authority and the Ministry of Health of failing to resolve the crisis.
Mohamed Elbahi, consultant of the Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industry at the Federation of Industries, said that the shortage of medicines in Egypt is caused by the high prices of raw materials due to the high exchange rate, as most of the raw materials used in the pharmaceutical industry are imported from abroad.
I forgot to solve the crisis in stages so as not to impose a burden on the citizen and expect the end of the crisis of medicine shortages within three months at the latest.
Although Egypt imports a large amount of insulin, the Minister of Health and Population, Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, said in statements that Egypt is a producer of insulin, and local insulin can be used as an alternative to the importer, but it is also not available.
As pointed out by dr.
Alaa Mohamed, a pharmacist, said that there is a prevailing culture among citizens that the importer is the best and despite the high price of imported insulin, but the patient is still looking for him and is not satisfied with the alternative.. There are patients suffering from diabetes for several years and they are accustomed to the importer and it is difficult to replace it with the Egyptian.
Dr. Ali Abdullah, director of the Center for Pharmaceutical Studies, explained that the reason for the shortage of medicines is the inability of the producing companies to bear the difference of money to import raw materials after the rise of the dollar price from 31 pounds to 49 pounds.
He pointed out the need to raise the awareness of citizens and change the prevailing culture that the importer is better than the local. We must educate patients to use alternative medicines because they are much cheaper than the importer, which costs us a lot of money.
He added that it is necessary to enact legislation to prevent the dispensing of medicines without prescription in order to prevent the withdrawal of medicines and their use for purposes other than those specified for them.
On the other hand, Dr. Ali Abdullah called for the need to reconsider the pricing of medicines with not forgetting the social and investment part of companies.. And the citizen to accept the increase in the prices of medicine, and also must control the market of medicines.. There are statements by Minister Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar pointed out that the private sector represents 70% of medicines, and the government has 30%.. Unfortunately there is a large amount of government medicines private hospitals and pharmacies health insurance are leaked For the black market and the citizen does not find evidence in a syringe price of 200 pounds sold for 2000 pounds.. In a drug used in illegal abortion price of 11 pounds is now sold for 200 and 300 pounds although it is private government only.. And on the private level we find abuse in the use of drugs veterinarians sell veterinary drugs with feed..
And gynecologists and obstetricians sell the IUD at times its prices and hormonal injections as well.. Where is the legislation that governs this farce and where is the drug traceability that governs the medicine can.
Dr. Irene Saad, a member of the House of Representatives, pointed out that the reason for the shortage of medicines, especially medicines for chronic diseases, is the decline in the import of raw materials and the tendency of some factories and companies to stop production lines because of the lack of raw materials for the industry due to the high price of the dollar.
She stressed that the role of the state is to pay attention to the factories of the private business sector in the country, which can feed the gap in public hospitals and health insurance, and there is more interest in the city of medicine to serve the national industry, and there is a national strategy to localize the drug industry and rely on local alternatives.
It is possible to agree with the Ministry of Agriculture to provide animal gelatin.. Packaging materials.. Manufacturing these materials locally can save the final cost and reach a fair price for medicines..
Therefore, the state should give incentives to important production lines that fill a deficit.. There must be coordination between the Pharmaceutical Authority and the Ministry of Industry to identify the shortcomings and develop alternative plans to provide them at reasonable prices.
She pointed out that insulin, for example, from medicines should be in stock at least 6 months because of its great importance in providing health care to citizens, and there should be stock for all medicines, especially medicines for chronic diseases.

Title:

Content:

Investors Beware of These 3 Pharma Stocks

VKTX – Rising costs, regulatory hurdles, and cyberattacks are some of the challenges that the pharmaceutical industry faces. Although the sector looks well-positioned for growth, not all pharma stocks would be able to capitalize on the industry trends. Therefore, investors should look to avoid fundamentally weak pharma stocks: Madrigal Pharmaceuticals (MDGL), Viking Therapeutics (VKTX), and Axsome Therapeutics. (AXSM), given their weak growth prospects. Read on…

The pharmaceutical industry is critical to global healthcare needs. A rapidly aging population, the rise of chronic diseases, and advanced technologies like AI in drug development boost the sector’s outlook. However, not every pharmaceutical company are likely to capitalize on the industry tailwinds.

Amid this backdrop, investors could look to avoid fundamentally weak pharma stocks: Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (MDGL), Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (VKTX), and Axsome Therapeutics, Inc. (AXSM). Before diving deeper into their fundamentals, let’s discuss some of the challenges that the pharmaceutical industry is facing.

The world’s rising global healthcare needs boost the pharmaceutical sector’s outlook. Global pharmaceutical revenues are expected to reach $1.16 trillion this year and grow at a CAGR of 6.2%, reaching $1.47 trillion by 2028. However, the S&P Pharmaceuticals Select Industry Index has declined 5% over the past year, compared to the S&P 500’s 20.4% return during the same period.

The industry currently faces several challenges, such as growing regulatory restrictions, rising input costs, high inflation, elevated interest rates, a rise in patent cliffs, and increasing threats from generic manufacturers. Moreover, there’s rising competition in the same therapeutic areas and too much R&D money is chasing similar biological targets.

Additionally, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) intends to make prescription drugs more affordable for people with Medicare through price caps, price negotiations, inflation rebates, etc.

The pharmaceutical industry also faces cybercrime threats, necessitating strong cybersecurity measures to safeguard sensitive data and intellectual property while ensuring product safety and efficacy for patients worldwide.

Let’s examine the fundamentals of the three Medical – Pharmaceuticals stocks, beginning with the least favorable one from an investment point of view.

Stock #3: Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (MDGL)

MDGL is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the development of therapeutics for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in the United States. Its lead product candidate is resmetirom, and it is also developing MGL-3745, a backup for resmetirom.

In terms of forward EV/Sales, MDGL is trading at 48.51x, considerably higher than the industry average of 3.35x. Likewise, its forward Price/Sales is trading at 54.84x, significantly higher than the industry average of 3.57x.

For the fiscal fourth quarter, which ended December 31, 2023, MDGL’s net loss widened 30.6% year-over-year to $112.19 million. Its loss from operations widened 37.4% year-over-year to $117.18 million. The company’s net loss per common share widened 14.1% over the prior year quarter to $5.68.

Analysts expect MDGL’s EPS for the quarter ended March 31, 2024, to remain negative. It failed to surpass the Street EPS estimates in three of the trailing four quarters. Over the year, the stock has declined 31.9% to close the last trading session at $210.59.

MDGL’s weak fundamentals are reflected in its POWR Ratings. It has an overall F rating, equating to a Strong Sell in our proprietary rating system. The POWR Ratings assess stocks by 118 different factors, each with its own weighting.

Within the Medical – Pharmaceuticals industry, it is ranked #151 out of 161 stocks. It has an F grade for Growth and Sentiment and a D for Momentum and Stability. To access MDGL’s ratings for Value and Quality, click here.

Stock #2: Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (VKTX)

VKTX is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that focuses on developing therapies for metabolic and endocrine disorders.

In terms of forward Price/Book, VKTX is trading at 9.53x, 252.1% higher than the industry average of 2.71x.

VKTX’s loss from operations for the first quarter that ended March 31, 2024, widened 65.9% year-over-year to $9.57 million. The company’s net loss widened 40.1% year-over-year to $27.36 million. Also, its loss per share came in at $0.26, widened 4% year-over-year.

In addition, as of March 31, 2024, the company’s total current liabilities stood at $32.77 million, compared to $19.14 million as of December 31, 2023.

For the quarter ending June 30, 2024, VKTX’s EPS is expected to remain negative. Over the past month, the stock has decreased 3.9% to close the last trading session at $76.43.

It’s no surprise that VKTX has an overall F rating, equating to a Strong Sell in our POWR Ratings system.

It has an F grade for Growth and a D for Momentum, Stability, and Quality. It is ranked #147 in the same industry. Beyond what is stated above, we’ve also rated VKTX for Value and Sentiment. Get all the VKTX ratings here.

Stock #1: Axsome Therapeutics, Inc. (AXSM)

AXSM is a biopharmaceutical company based in the United States that develops novel therapies for central nervous system (CNS) disorders.

In terms of forward EV/Sales, AXSM is trading at 8.92x, 165.8% higher than the industry average of 3.35x. Likewise, its forward Price/Sales is trading at 9.45x, 165% higher than the 3.57x industry average. In addition, its forward Price/Book is trading at 58.74x, considerably higher than the 2.71x industry average.

During the fiscal fourth quarter that ended on December 31, 2023, AXSM’s loss from operations widened 64% year-over-year to $98.27 million. Its net loss expanded 61.1% from the year-ago value to $98.65 million. In addition, the company’s net loss per share amounted to $2.08, widening 47.5% year-over-year.

Street expects AXSM’s revenue for the quarter ended March 31, 2024, to decrease 23% year-over-year to $72.85 million. Its EPS for the same quarter is expected to remain negative. Over the past three months, the stock has declined 19.9% to close the last trading session at $74.89.

AXSM’s poor fundamentals are reflected in its POWR Ratings. It has an overall rating of D, which equates to a Sell in our proprietary rating system.

It has an F grade for Stability and a D for Growth, Momentum, and Sentiment. It is ranked #129 in the Medical – Pharmaceuticals industry. Click here to see AXSM’s ratings for Value and Quality.

What To Do Next?

Get your hands on this special report with 3 low priced companies with tremendous upside potential even in today’s volatile markets:

3 Stocks to DOUBLE This Year >

VKTX shares were trading at $74.92 per share on Thursday afternoon, down $1.51 (-1.98%). Year-to-date, VKTX has gained 302.58%, versus a 5.83% rise in the benchmark S&P 500 index during the same period.

About the Author: Rashmi Kumari

Rashmi is passionate about capital markets, wealth management, and financial regulatory issues, which led her to pursue a career as an investment analyst. With a master's degree in commerce, she aspires to make complex financial matters understandable for individual investors and help them make appropriate investment decisions. More...

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This report examines real-world examples of medication shortages between 2021 and 2024, highlighting the drugs affected, the underlying causes, and the responses from healthcare systems and authorities.

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.

Title:

Content: |

FTC, US Health Dept Launch Probe Over Chemo Drug Shortages

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

Sign up for smart news, insights, and analysis on the biggest financial stories of the day.

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

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

The Cost of Cheap Drugs

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

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

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

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

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

Title:

Content: From a human perspective, healthcare never goes out of style. From an investment perspective, sometimes it does. It might seem to be an evergreen sector, yet it suffers market maladies like other sectors do, which means you get years like 2023. That’s when the S&P 500 Health Care Sector Index eked out a tiny 0.3% gain, falling far behind the S&P 500 and its prodigious 24% rise.

“2023 was one of the worst years for healthcare on a relative basis to the market in over two decades,” says Andy Acker, co-portfolio manager of the Janus Henderson Global Life Sciences Fund.

Healthcare had done better in 2022, suffering less than other sectors when investors moved into the space as a defensive play, going especially into large pharmaceutical names. That helped the sector’s relative performance: The S&P 500 Health Care index lost only 3.6% in 2022 while the S&P 500 plunged 19.4%. In 2023, the fortunes were reversed, as investors rotated out of defensive healthcare names into artificial intelligence-driven tech.

The waning influence of the Covid-19 pandemic has also affected healthcare stocks and their revenues. The sector had seen tens of billions of dollars in sales from products addressing the virus, and the pandemic’s ebb meant a substantial decline in revenue for such products. Pfizer, for example, saw its 2023 sales slump roughly 42% from the year before. Its stock price followed suit, falling 41%. Meanwhile, Moderna’s revenue cratered 64% and its shares slumped 45%.

Federal Reserve maneuvers haven’t helped healthcare either. The central bank’s aggressive interest rate hikes hurt early-stage biotech companies that depend on the capital markets. All these factors created a perfect storm buffeting healthcare.

But Acker claims that these woes have masked the sector’s significant upside potential—particularly the rising number of aging people in the developed world (seniors are the biggest consumers of healthcare), as well as the accelerating innovation of drug therapies, and the accompanying rise in Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs.

The sector isn’t monolithic, though, and its various subsectors will always have their share of grand successes and colossal failures. “Healthcare is the least efficient sector in the entire market in terms of the difference between the winners and losers,” Acker says.

Navigating the vagaries of healthcare in search of the winners is a challenge that motivates Acker and Daniel Lyons, his partner at the Global Life Sciences Fund. “That’s what makes it fun to invest in the healthcare sector,” Acker says.

Balanced Approach
The fund has generated consistently strong performance, reporting average annual returns that place it in the top quartile of Morningstar’s health category during all measurable periods from one to 15 years. During its roughly 25-year run, the fund has cumulatively topped its benchmark, the MSCI World Health Care Index, and beat it in all measurable time frames save for the recent three-year period.

Part of that success stems from the background of Acker, Lyons and the other seven members of the firm’s healthcare team, who each focus on subsets of the sector. Acker notes that all members of the therapeutics team have a science background. Three have Ph.D.’s and one is an M.D.

He and Lyons have been working on the Global Life Sciences Fund since 2000. Acker has been portfolio manager since 2007, and Lyons since early last year.

The fund’s managers have traditionally taken a balanced approach, holding roughly a third of the portfolio in biotech stocks, another third in pharmaceutical stocks and one-third in medtech and healthcare service stocks. And that’s basically where things currently stand.

“We like having that defensive positioning with companies we think will do well even during an economic slowdown or a recession,” he explains. “These are companies with businesses that are isolated from economic activity, and which have strong cash flow.

“When you get sick you still have to take your medicine, so healthcare is defensive relative to the broader markets,” he continues.

The fund includes a combination of defensive stocks with large-cap pharma or HMOs or medtech companies, along with innovative companies that are mostly small or mid-cap biotech and medtech companies. “These are companies with innovative new products that we believe can change the practice of medicine,” Acker says. “It’s our view the innovators addressing unmet medical needs will do well regardless of the economic environment.”

90/90 Rule
The M.O. of the fund’s research team is to understand both the science and the business behind drug therapies. This is where Acker brings into play what he calls the “90/90 rule.”

“We need to understand how a molecule actually works,” he explains. “The first part of the 90/90 rule is that 90% of drugs in clinical trials won’t make it to market.”

The second part refers to the commercial risk of launching a new therapy. “What Dan and I have found after more than two decades in the healthcare sector is when you have a new product launch the consensus estimates from Wall Street are wrong 90% of the time,” he says.

After incorporating their understanding of a molecule’s potential health benefit and market size, they avoid stocks where analyst estimates appear to be too high and buy stocks when they believe the analysts’ estimates are too low.

That worked out well with Horizon Therapeutics, a company ultimately acquired by Amgen last year for about $28 billion. Several years ago Horizon launched a new therapy called Tepezza for the treatment of thyroid eye disease. This painful autoimmune condition causes inflammation behind a person’s eyeball, forcing the eye to literally bulge out of a patient’s head and interfering with vision. Before Tepezza arrived, the only treatment for the disease was surgery.

Acker says the therapy had more than 80% efficacy, but the company had a conservative estimate about how much the drug would sell, assuming it would see only $30 million to $40 million in sales the first year. Consensus estimates were even lower, at $27 million. “The first-year actual sales were $820 million,” Acker says, about 30 times the consensus. “Janus Henderson became one of the largest shareholders in the company before the launch in late 2019.”

Weight Loss, Profit Gains
One of the most exciting areas in healthcare is a new class of weight-loss drugs called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. Initially focused on the treatment of type 2 diabetes, these drugs have shown weight-loss results of 10% to 20% of a person’s body weight, whereas previous drugs typically produced 5% to 7% losses.

The two leading players in this space are among the largest holdings in the Global Life Sciences Fund portfolio—Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk.

Acker says the fund has held both stocks for about 10 years on account of their diabetes franchises. He thinks they have significant upside potential with their weight-loss therapies. The two companies combined are at a $40 billion run rate for their GLP-1 products. (A run rate uses current sales to forecast future revenue.)

“That market is growing at about 80% annually as of the fourth quarter. But we’re just barely scratching the surface,” he says. “We think this could be one of the biggest markets we’ve ever seen in the healthcare industry.”

Nonetheless, a UBS research report earlier this year highlighted potential growth constraints—at least in the near term—on GLP-1 therapies. It pointed to limited supplies, as well as restricted access to these drugs because Medicare is prohibited by law from covering obesity drugs, and to date there’s limited access to obesity drugs on employer health plans.

Acker acknowledges that demand for GLP-1 therapies far exceeds supply, but says that both Lilly and Novo are investing heavily to expand their capacity as quickly as they can. “A key point is that it’s very expensive to compete in this market, and that gives them a competitive advantage as they’re investing more in both clinical trials and capacity than every other company put together,” he says. “We think these two companies will be the market leaders in this area at least through the end of the decade.”

Other Drivers
Another subsector of healthcare is biotech. Acker and Lyons say this space is primed for growth after a nearly three-year “nuclear winter” that decimated the performance of its equities. The managers note that enthusiasm for smaller companies in biotech soared in 2020 thanks to the excitement generated by quick vaccine development during Covid. Many early-stage companies with no clinical data received funding, and as they progressed there was a high failure rate. Those stocks went down, and investors abandoned the space.

But biotech’s fortunes rallied last autumn after the Fed announced its intended pivot on rate hikes. And the acquisition activity in the space was rejuvenated by October’s regulatory approval of Amgen’s takeover of Horizon Therapeutics. That deal had previously been blocked unexpectedly by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, and the delay had put a chill on M&A activity. The net effect is that the S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index finished the year up 7.6%, and Lyons sees better times ahead.

“It’s game on for biotech M&A, and we saw an acceleration of deals in the fourth quarter and we expect that to continue this year,” he says.

Within the portfolio he highlights the biotech firm Vertex Pharmaceuticals, which the fund has owned for 15 years. “They have a cystic fibrosis franchise that’s set to do around $11 billion in sales this year,” Lyons says.

He notes that Vertex’s therapies have dramatically increased the survival rate among cystic fibrosis patients so that many of them have “carrier” status, which is where you don’t have recognizable cystic fibrosis anymore. “It’s the closest you can get to a cure for about 90% of patients with the disease,” Lyons says. He adds that the company has protection for its intellectual property into the late 2030s for its products.

Acker and Lyons point to Vertex as representative of the companies they strive to invest in.

“We try to find companies that can change the face of medicine by addressing high unmet medical needs, and that we believe have underappreciated clinical or commercial potential,” Acker says. “We don’t need to be perfect, but if we can be more accurate than the market in identifying products that will achieve clinical and commercial success, that can drive outperformance for our shareholders.”

Title:

Content: Health Secretary faces mounting pressure from campaginers to address drug shortages

Campaigners have called for Health Secretary Victoria Atkins to urgently tackle a dire shortage of the only licensed drug available to people living with motor neurone disease.

Health Secretary Victoria Atkins (Image: getty)

Patients have been forced to visit multiple chemists to find riluzole, which slows the progression of the brutal terminal condition by a few months, due to a supply issue that has created a UK-wide stock shortage since September.

One MND sufferer, who did not want to be named, recently had to go to 15 pharmacies before they could get the drug.

Tanya Curry, chief executive of the MND Association, has written to the minister saying: "We are now receiving reports daily from across the country that patients are unable to access their prescribed medicine, with no stock available in pharmacies and no indication of when it will become available.

“Some newly diagnosed patients are being denied their only medication option due to the lack of available supply. This is absolutely not good enough.”

She added: “The lives of people with MND are already limited by this devastating condition. They do not have time to wait, and certainly should not have to spend their precious days fighting to get the medication they deserve.”

Patient Lee Millard said: “We have but one drug, riluzole, for MND currently and anything that risks patients not receiving this one single tablet adds to the distress of day to day life.

“Our main charity, the MNDA, have raised with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) but have received no details of what the issue is nor how it will be resolved. This just adds to the concern.”

A DHSC spokesperson said: “We understand how distressing medication shortages can be, which is why we’ve been working closely with manufacturers to resolve these issues as soon as possible and ensure patients have continuous access to MND medication in the UK.

“We are aware of an issue with one supplier but alternative suppliers should have stock available for patients who require it.

“We are determined to improve the lives of people with MND. That’s why, in November 2021, we committed to spend at least £50million on MND research over five years ending in March 2027.

“It is hoped this will enable faster progress towards treatments for this debilitating condition.”

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Title:

Content: Weight loss, drug prices, abortion and prescribed psychedelics: Expect reckonings in 2024

This year has been a major turning point in American health care and patients can anticipate several major developments in the new year.

Notable developments in 2023 included the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency, the beginning of a CRISPR “revolution” and a new reckoning with drug prices that could change the landscape of the U.S. health care system for decades to come.

Health care officials expect 2024 to bring a wave of innovation and change in medicine, treatment and public health.

As the presidential election kicks into gear, here are four of the biggest health stories to watch for in 2024.

A year of long-awaited weight loss

This month Oprah Winfrey announced that she is taking weight-loss medication along with exercise and careful eating to finally "quiet the food noise" and overcome the sense of shame she's long had about being overweight.

Many think 2024 could be the year more people have the tools to follow through on New Year's resolutions about weight loss. If they can afford them and manage to stick with them, people can turn to a new generation of remarkably effective weight-loss drugs, also called GLP-1s, which offer the potential for substantial weight loss.

Wegovy, which was approved in 2021, and Zepbound, which got the nod from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2023, are the most effective publically available weight-loss drugs ever made.

Wegovy has been shown to help people shed as much as 16% of their body weight, in combination with exercise and diet. Zepbound's highest dose, along with lifestyle changes, has helped people lose as much as 27% of their body weight over 18 months.

Although long-term data isn't available, these drugs also appear to be the safest to date. A large number of people suffer from gastrointestinal distress on the medications, including vomiting, nausea and diarrhea; but more serious side effects, like those that sidelined previous weight-loss drugs, have been extremely rare. Wegovy also appears to reduce the risk of a repeat heart attack or stroke for people with pre-existing disease.

So far, both drugs have been hard for patients to access. Suppliers have had trouble making enough of the meds to meet skyrocketing demand. And many insurers haven't covered the cost of the drugs, which can run from about $1,000 to over $1,300 a month.

Paying for them should become easier in 2024, as supplies crank up and insurers could bow to market pressure and cover more of the cost.

Also in the new year, there are more GLP-1 drugs on the way and in more forms. Both Wegovy and Zepbound are delivered as weekly shots. Pill versions are under development as are other medications, some of which could help people lose even more weight.

It's unclear whether drug companies will be able to do anything about the side effects, though. It's also hard to tell how soon competition might help bring down prices.

There's a major unknown factor with these drugs, which could become better understood in the coming years. Experts can't say if people will be able to keep the weight off if they don't make lifestyle changes and stop taking the drugs.

Right now, the companies say these medications need to be taken for life, just like drugs for high blood pressure or cholesterol. Several doctors in the field said drug developers should come up with cheaper alternatives that allow people to maintain a lower weight with fewer side effects, perhaps by taking a much smaller dose of the same drug or an off-patent version.

Mental health and psychedelics

In 2023, mental health issues became among the nation's most deadly, costly and pervasive health crises.

Nearly 50,000 people died by suicide in 2022 and 5.8 million emergency department visits were linked to mental, behavioral and neurodevelopmental disorders in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency has yet to release preliminary data from 2023.

The Biden administration made mental health a priority by expanding the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, funding mental health resources and programs at schools, and targeting sources causing poor mental health including social media and loneliness.

While health agencies made progress in providing support in recent years, experts say there isn't enough funding or programming in place to address the growing need. The dearth of remedies has also paved the way for an unsuspecting class of drugs: Psychedelics.

MDMA, a party drug commonly known as "ecstasy," could win approval for legal distribution in 2024, as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Another psychedelic, a ketamine derivative eskatemine, sold as Spravato, was approved in 2019 to treat depression, but it is being treated like a conventional therapy that must be dosed regularly, not like a psychedelic that provides a long-lasting learning experience, said Matthew Johnson, an expert in psychedelics at Johns Hopkins University.

MDMA (midomafetamine capsules) would be different, as the first true psychedelic to win FDA approval.

In a late-stage trial of patients with moderate or severe post-traumatic stress disorder, close to 90% showed clinically significant improvements four months after three treatments with MDMA and more than 70% no longer met the criteria for having the disorder, which represented "really impressive results," according to Matthew Johnson, an expert in psychedelics at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland.

Psilocybin, known colloquially as "magic mushrooms," is also working its way through the federal approval process, but it likely won't come up before officials for another year, Johnson said.

Psychedelics are something to keep an eye on in the future, as they're being used to treat an array of mental health issues: eskatimine for depression, MDMA for PTSD and psilocybin for addiction. Johnson said his research suggests that psychedelics will probably have a generalizable benefit across many mental health challenges in the years to come.

However, psychedelic experts like Johnson worry that approval of these medications could open the floodgates for irresponsible use of the drugs. Careful administration of psychedelics involves undergoing psychotherapy as well as taking medication, he noted.

The potential harms of psychedelic use can include psychosis and other hallucination-related disorders, memory impairment, sleep disruption and short-term depression, according to research. Doctors often warn people with a personal or family history of schizophrenia to stay away from these drugs.

Esketamine comes with a warning from the FDA and a requirement that it be administered in a health care setting where patients can be under observation for at least two hours after taking it. The actor Matthew Perry, who starred in the popular 90s sitcom "Friends," died from the acute effects of ketamine, along with other contributing factors.

Under supervision, some psychedelics have dramatically transformed people's mental health. Johnson hopes the public attention that would come with FDA approval would also mean more people will be helped by psychedelics and use of them in a medical setting will become "normalized."

Big Pharma navigates new price limits

Once the calendar flips to January, consumers will begin to learn more about new pricing for their prescription drugs.

Pharmaceutical companies typically roll out price increases for hundreds of drugs in the first few weeks of the year. But new constraints on drug prices could limit increases.

The federal climate and health bill, called the Inflation Reduction Act, restricts how much companies can hike Medicare drug prices for older adults. If drug companies increase prices above the rate of inflation, they must pay Medicare a rebate.

Those inflation penalties have already lowered prices on some drugs administered at hospitals, clinics and doctors' offices. In December, Medicare officials released a preliminary list of 48 drugs including blood thinners, antibiotics and chemotherapy medicines that could be subject to an inflation penalty in January. If those penalties were levied, Medicare would recoup money from drug companies and enrollees would likely pay lower cost-sharing for these drugs.

The federal law will also find new ways to pressure drug companies' prices. For the first time, the federal government has empowered Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices.

The Biden administration named the first 10 drugs the federal government plans to negotiate but the price changes on those diabetes, heart disease and cancer drugs won’t take effect until 2026. Over the next two years, another 30 drugs will be selected for negotiated prices beginning in 2027 and 2028.

Drug companies and their industry allies have challenged the process, filing several lawsuits aimed at halting price negotiations.

While consumers won't see discounts from negotiated prices until 2026, other provisions promise more immediate savings. For example, in 2025, enrollees in Medicare's Part D drug plans will have their out-of-pocket expenses for prescriptions capped at $2,000 per year.

Other factors could influence prices in 2024, as Congress continues to scrutinize the role drug pricing middlemen, called pharmacy benefit managers, play in the prescription drug market.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed health care price transparency legislation that would ban pharmacy benefit managers from Medicaid spread pricing. This form of pricing occurs when pharmacy middlemen charge more than what they pay pharmacies for prescriptions. Senate committees also are working on legislation to bolster oversight of pharmacy benefit manager practices.

As the Inflation Reduction Act limits annual price increases for seniors and political pressure builds on drug-pricing middlemen, some analysts say pharmaceutical companies might try to launch new drugs at ever-higher prices. This could include Eli Lilly's donanemab, a drug that slowed cognitive decline in people in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. The FDA will review the drug by the end of March and it could hit the market shortly after.

Supreme Court mifepristone case, abortion access on the ballot

The fate of a drug used to terminate pregnancies is now before the U.S. Supreme Court in two new cases, bringing a renewed focus to abortion access in the wake of the Dobbs ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade.

In December, the Supreme Court agreed to hear cases that rolled back access to mifepristone, an oral drug that is used jointly with another drug, misoprostol, to end a pregnancy in the first trimester. Medication abortions are the most common form of abortion in the U.S.

The Food and Drug Administration approved mifepristone, which patients across the U.S. can access through telemedicine and the U.S. mail. In 2016, the FDA determined that only one doctor's visit, instead of three, is necessary for a patient to be prescribed mifepristone.

The high court’s ruling, expected by late June, could significantly hinder access to abortions through telemedicine and the mail, especially for people in rural areas and those who have limited ability to travel to an abortion clinic. The ruling also has implications for people seeking abortion in states where it is legal.

The 2024 ruling could restrict access beyond the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that affirmed a constitutional right to abortion. The Dobbs ruling in 2022 resulted in several Republican-controlled states effectively cutting off abortion.

Voters this year began weighing in on new measures that would limit or expand access. In November, abortion rights activists scored key victories in Ohio, a Republican-leaning state where voters enshrined abortion access in the state constitution, and in deep-red Kentucky, where Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear won reelection championing abortion rights.

In Texas, Kate Cox, a Dallas-area mother of two, challenged her state’s strict anti-abortion laws in December after she learned that her fetus at 20 weeks had a deadly genetic condition. The Texas Supreme Court prohibited her from terminating her pregnancy based on state laws that restrict doctors' rights to perform abortions. Cox opted to travel outside of Texas to end the pregnancy.

Doctors who provide abortions under these circumstances can be sentenced to life in prison under state law. Private citizens can also sue any person who helps another person someone obtain an abortion. Restrictions like these have resulted in a brain drain of doctors leaving or skipping out on jobs in Texas and other states because of the limits on medical practice.

The 2024 presidential election is likely to touch on abortion access, and it's likely candidates will cite Cox’s case and others as they talk about the country's future.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Weight loss, abortion, drug prices, psychedelics: Hot topics of 2024

Title:

Content: HHP Medication Safety Watch

Welcome to HHP Medication Safety Watch. Each month we'll provide links and information about selected medicines and health products from the full FDA list of recalls, withdrawals, and alerts. This can help you stay informed about potential problems with prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines, and health products you may use to treat illness, ease pain, or relieve bothersome symptoms.

March 2024

  • male enhancement supplements (contamination)
  • antibiotic (incorrect dose)

February 2024

  • eye ointments (contamination)
  • infant vitamin D (dosage error)
  • male enhancement supplements (contamination)
  • antifungal spray (contamination)

January 2024

  • cough syrups (contamination)
  • supplements (unapproved drug)
  • ADHD/narcolepsy medication (labeling error)

December 2023

  • anesthetic spray (contamination)
  • anti-seizure medication (faulty packaging)

November 2023

  • antifungal spray (contamination)
  • children's pain and fever relievers (instability)
  • eye drops (contamination)
  • dietary supplement (contamination)
  • male enhancement supplement (contamination)
  • transplant rejection medication (crystallization)
  • cancer medicine (contamination)

October 2023

  • dietary supplements for arthritis (contamination)
  • hundreds of over-the-counter products (storage violations)
  • nasal sprays (contamination)
  • blood pressure medication (possible contamination)

September 2023

  • dietary supplement (contamination)
  • kids' mouthwash (contamination)
  • antifungal medicine (contamination)
  • transplant rejection medication (crystallization)
  • ulcer medicine (contamination)

August 2023

  • eye drops (contamination)
  • heart medication (labeling errors)

July 2023

  • asthma inhaler (incorrect dose)
  • birth control pills (impurity and stability)

June 2023

  • medications for poor appetite and bipolar disorder (labeling errors)

May 2023

  • pediatric cold medicine (packaging error)
  • multiple medicines, both over-the-counter and prescription
  • pain relief products (storage violations)

April 2023

  • multiple medicines, both over-the-counter and prescription
  • male enhancement supplement (contamination)
  • fentanyl (documentation)

March 2023

  • hand sanitizer (contamination)
  • eye drops (contamination)
  • eye drops (possible contamination)
  • blood thinner (impurity)
  • antibiotic (possible contamination)

February 2023

  • eye drops (contamination)
  • eye ointment (contamination)
  • male enhancement supplement (contamination)
  • hand sanitizer (contamination)
  • thyroid medication (potency)

January 2023

  • sunscreen spray (contamination)

December 2022

  • burn cream (contamination)
  • blood pressure/heart failure medication (contamination)

November 2022

  • hand sanitizer (contamination)

October 2022

  • blood pressure medication (impurity)
  • blood pressure and blood thinner medications (labeling error)

September 2022

  • oral health products (storage violations)
  • hand sanitizer (contamination)
  • male enhancement supplements (contamination)
  • blood pressure and blood thinner medications (labeling error)

August 2022

  • male enhancement supplements (contamination)
  • stomach remedies (contamination)
  • laxatives (possible contamination)

July 2022

  • hundreds of over-the-counter products (storage violations)
  • sunscreen spray (contamination)
  • laxatives (possible contamination)
  • male enhancement supplements (contamination)
  • insulin injector pens (missing labels)

June 2022

  • male enhancement supplement (contamination)
  • laxative (contamination)
  • nasal spray (contamination)
  • stomach remedies (contamination)
  • arthritis remedy (contamination)
  • children's allergy treatment (contamination)
  • opiate medication (incorrect labeling)

May 2022

  • anagrelide (defective capsules)
  • flavor enhancer (contamination)

April 2022

  • hand sanitizers (contamination)
  • male enhancement supplement (contamination)
  • insulin (missing label)
  • blood pressure medication (contamination)

March 2022

  • hand sanitizer (contamination)
  • multiple products (contamination)
  • personal hygiene products (contamination)
  • blood pressure medication (contamination)
  • injectable compounded medicines
  • epinephrine (syringe malfunction)
  • muscle relaxant (contamination)

February 2022

  • male enhancement supplements (contamination)
  • multiple products (warehouse contamination)
  • personal hygiene products (contamination)

January 2022

  • natural laxative (contamination)
  • male enhancement supplement (contamination)
  • wound care gel (contamination)
  • insulin injector pen (labeling)

December 2021

  • cold/flu remedy
  • steroid ointment
  • metformin, extended-release
  • heart medication
  • multiple medications prepared by a specific compounding pharmacy
  • blood thinner

November 2021

  • hand sanitizer (packaging)
  • foot care products (contamination)
  • personal hygiene products (contamination)

October 2021

  • hand sanitizer (contamination)
  • antifungal sprays (possible contamination)
  • pain reliever (incorrect dose)
  • blood pressure medication (possible contamination)

September 2021

  • amifampridine (contamination)
  • Chantix (contamination)

August 2021

  • weight-loss supplement (contamination)
  • atovaquone (temperature control)
  • Chantix (contamination)

July 2021

  • hand sanitizer (packaging)
  • sunscreens (contamination)
  • Chantix (contamination)

June 2021

  • hand sanitizer packaging
  • metformin, extended-release

May 2021

  • hand sanitizer (bacterial contamination)
  • hand sanitizer (contamination with other substances)
  • male enhancement supplements
  • dietary supplements

April 2021

  • hand sanitizer (bacterial contamination)
  • hand sanitizer (contamination with other substances)
  • male enhancement supplements
  • acetaminophen
  • guanfacine
  • thyroid medication

March 2021

  • hand sanitizer (packaging)
  • hand sanitizer (contamination)
  • male enhancement supplements
  • spironolactone
  • telmisartan

February 2021

  • dietary supplements
  • blood thinner
  • pulse oximeters

January 2021

  • rubbing alcohol
  • oral rinse
  • hand sanitizers (countrywide alert)
  • metformin, extended-release

December 2020

  • skin treatments for breastfeeding and infants
  • topical anesthetic
  • hand sanitizer
  • oral rinse
  • medication mix-up
  • blood thinner

November 2020

  • nutritional supplement
  • "immune booster"
  • oral rinse
  • metformin, extended-release

October 2020

  • skin salves or creams
  • hand sanitizer packaging
  • oral rinse
  • metformin, extended-release
  • NSAIDs during pregnancy

September 2020

  • male enhancement pills
  • hand sanitizers
  • thyroid medicines
  • metformin, extended-release
  • labels on benzodiazepines

August 2020

  • hand sanitizers
  • goldenseal root powder
  • nasal spray medications
  • metformin, extended-release

July 2020

  • hand sanitizers
  • CBD oil
  • hemp oil
  • metformin, extended-release

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Title:

Content: Global Smart Medical Devices Market to Reach $60.1 Billion by 2030

The global economy is at a critical crossroads with a number of interlocking challenges and crises running in parallel. The uncertainty around how Russia`s war on Ukraine will play out this year and the war`s role in creating global instability means that the trouble on the inflation front is not over yet.

New York, Feb. 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Smart Medical Devices Industry" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06032911/?utm_source=GNW
Food and fuel inflation will remain a persistent economic problem. Higher retail inflation will impact consumer confidence and spending. As governments combat inflation by raising interest rates, new job creation will slowdown and impact economic activity and growth. Lower capital expenditure is in the offing as companies go slow on investments, held back by inflation worries and weaker demand. With slower growth and high inflation, developed markets seem primed to enter into a recession. Fears of new COVID outbreaks and China’s already uncertain post-pandemic path poses a real risk of the world experiencing more acute supply chain pain and manufacturing disruptions this year. Volatile financial markets, growing trade tensions, stricter regulatory environment and pressure to mainstream climate change into economic decisions will compound the complexity of challenges faced. Year 2023 is expected to be tough year for most markets, investors and consumers. Nevertheless, there is always opportunity for businesses and their leaders who can chart a path forward with resilience and adaptability.

Global Smart Medical Devices Market to Reach $60.1 Billion by 2030

In the changed post COVID-19 business landscape, the global market for Smart Medical Devices estimated at US$24.7 Billion in the year 2022, is projected to reach a revised size of US$60.1 Billion by 2030, growing at aCAGR of 11.8% over the period 2022-2030. Diagnostics & Monitoring Devices, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to record 11.4% CAGR and reach US$40 Billion by the end of the analysis period. Taking into account the ongoing post pandemic recovery, growth in the Therapeutic Devices segment is readjusted to a revised 12.5% CAGR for the next 8-year period.

The U.S. Market is Estimated at $7.4 Billion, While China is Forecast to Grow at 11% CAGR

The Smart Medical Devices market in the U.S. is estimated at US$7.4 Billion in the year 2022. China, the world`s second largest economy, is forecast to reach a projected market size of US$10.2 Billion by the year 2030 trailing a CAGR of 11% over the analysis period 2022 to 2030. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 10.3% and 9.2% respectively over the 2022-2030 period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 6.4% CAGR.

Select Competitors (Total 33 Featured)
- Abbott Laboratories
- Apple Inc.
- Dexcom, Inc.
- Everist Genomics
- F.Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.
- Fitbit, Inc.
- Johnson & Johnson
- Medtronic plc.
- NeuroMetrix, Inc.
- Omron Corporation
- Philips Electronics
- Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
- Sonova
- Sotera Wireless
- Vital Connect
- Zephyr Technology Corporation

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06032911/?utm_source=GNW

I. METHODOLOGY

II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. MARKET OVERVIEW
Influencer Market Insights
World Market Trajectories
Impact of Covid-19 and a Looming Global Recession
Smart Medical Devices - Global Key Competitors Percentage
Market Share in 2022 (E)
Competitive Market Presence - Strong/Active/Niche/Trivial for
Players Worldwide in 2022 (E)

2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS

3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS

4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE
Table 1: World Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for Smart
Medical Devices by Geographic Region - USA, Canada, Japan,
China, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of World Markets -
Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years
2022 through 2030 and % CAGR

Table 2: World 8-Year Perspective for Smart Medical Devices by
Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for
USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of
World Markets for Years 2023 & 2030

Table 3: World Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for
Diagnostics & Monitoring Devices by Geographic Region - USA,
Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of World
Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million
for Years 2022 through 2030 and % CAGR

Table 4: World 8-Year Perspective for Diagnostics & Monitoring
Devices by Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value
Sales for USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific and
Rest of World for Years 2023 & 2030

Table 5: World Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for
Therapeutic Devices by Geographic Region - USA, Canada, Japan,
China, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of World Markets -
Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years
2022 through 2030 and % CAGR

Table 6: World 8-Year Perspective for Therapeutic Devices by
Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for
USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of
World for Years 2023 & 2030

Table 7: World Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for
Online by Geographic Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China,
Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of World Markets - Independent
Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years 2022 through
2030 and % CAGR

Table 8: World 8-Year Perspective for Online by Geographic
Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for USA, Canada,
Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of World for Years
2023 & 2030

Table 9: World Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for
Pharmacies by Geographic Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China,
Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of World Markets - Independent
Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years 2022 through
2030 and % CAGR

Table 10: World 8-Year Perspective for Pharmacies by Geographic
Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for USA, Canada,
Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of World for Years
2023 & 2030

Table 11: World Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for
Other Distribution Channels by Geographic Region - USA, Canada,
Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of World Markets -
Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years
2022 through 2030 and % CAGR

Table 12: World 8-Year Perspective for Other Distribution
Channels by Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value
Sales for USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific and
Rest of World for Years 2023 & 2030

Table 13: World Smart Medical Devices Market Analysis of Annual
Sales in US$ Million for Years 2012 through 2030

III. MARKET ANALYSIS

UNITED STATES
Smart Medical Devices Market Presence - Strong/Active/Niche/
Trivial - Key Competitors in the United States for 2023 (E)
Table 14: USA Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for Smart
Medical Devices by Product - Diagnostics & Monitoring Devices
and Therapeutic Devices - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales
in US$ Million for the Years 2022 through 2030 and % CAGR

Table 15: USA 8-Year Perspective for Smart Medical Devices by
Product - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Diagnostics &
Monitoring Devices and Therapeutic Devices for the Years 2023 &
2030

Table 16: USA Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for Smart
Medical Devices by Distribution Channel - Online, Pharmacies
and Other Distribution Channels - Independent Analysis of
Annual Sales in US$ Million for the Years 2022 through 2030 and
% CAGR

Table 17: USA 8-Year Perspective for Smart Medical Devices by
Distribution Channel - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for
Online, Pharmacies and Other Distribution Channels for the
Years 2023 & 2030

CANADA
Table 18: Canada Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for
Smart Medical Devices by Product - Diagnostics & Monitoring
Devices and Therapeutic Devices - Independent Analysis of
Annual Sales in US$ Million for the Years 2022 through 2030 and
% CAGR

Table 19: Canada 8-Year Perspective for Smart Medical Devices
by Product - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for
Diagnostics & Monitoring Devices and Therapeutic Devices for
the Years 2023 & 2030

Table 20: Canada Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for
Smart Medical Devices by Distribution Channel - Online,
Pharmacies and Other Distribution Channels - Independent
Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for the Years 2022
through 2030 and % CAGR

Table 21: Canada 8-Year Perspective for Smart Medical Devices
by Distribution Channel - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales
for Online, Pharmacies and Other Distribution Channels for the
Years 2023 & 2030

JAPAN
Smart Medical Devices Market Presence - Strong/Active/Niche/
Trivial - Key Competitors in Japan for 2023 (E)
Table 22: Japan Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for
Smart Medical Devices by Product - Diagnostics & Monitoring
Devices and Therapeutic Devices - Independent Analysis of
Annual Sales in US$ Million for the Years 2022 through 2030 and
% CAGR

Table 23: Japan 8-Year Perspective for Smart Medical Devices by
Product - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Diagnostics &
Monitoring Devices and Therapeutic Devices for the Years 2023 &
2030

Table 24: Japan Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for
Smart Medical Devices by Distribution Channel - Online,
Pharmacies and Other Distribution Channels - Independent
Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for the Years 2022
through 2030 and % CAGR

Table 25: Japan 8-Year Perspective for Smart Medical Devices by
Distribution Channel - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for
Online, Pharmacies and Other Distribution Channels for the
Years 2023 & 2030

CHINA
Smart Medical Devices Market Presence - Strong/Active/Niche/
Trivial - Key Competitors in China for 2023 (E)
Table 26: China Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for
Smart Medical Devices by Product - Diagnostics & Monitoring
Devices and Therapeutic Devices - Independent Analysis of
Annual Sales in US$ Million for the Years 2022 through 2030 and
% CAGR

Table 27: China 8-Year Perspective for Smart Medical Devices by
Product - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Diagnostics &
Monitoring Devices and Therapeutic Devices for the Years 2023 &
2030

Table 28: China Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for
Smart Medical Devices by Distribution Channel - Online,
Pharmacies and Other Distribution Channels - Independent
Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for the Years 2022
through 2030 and % CAGR

Table 29: China 8-Year Perspective for Smart Medical Devices by
Distribution Channel - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for
Online, Pharmacies and Other Distribution Channels for the
Years 2023 & 2030

EUROPE
Smart Medical Devices Market Presence - Strong/Active/Niche/
Trivial - Key Competitors in Europe for 2023 (E)
Table 30: Europe Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for
Smart Medical Devices by Geographic Region - France, Germany,
Italy, UK and Rest of Europe Markets - Independent Analysis of
Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years 2022 through 2030 and %
CAGR

Table 31: Europe 8-Year Perspective for Smart Medical Devices
by Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for
France, Germany, Italy, UK and Rest of Europe Markets for Years
2023 & 2030

Table 32: Europe Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for
Smart Medical Devices by Product - Diagnostics & Monitoring
Devices and Therapeutic Devices - Independent Analysis of
Annual Sales in US$ Million for the Years 2022 through 2030 and
% CAGR

Table 33: Europe 8-Year Perspective for Smart Medical Devices
by Product - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for
Diagnostics & Monitoring Devices and Therapeutic Devices for
the Years 2023 & 2030

Table 34: Europe Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for
Smart Medical Devices by Distribution Channel - Online,
Pharmacies and Other Distribution Channels - Independent
Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for the Years 2022
through 2030 and % CAGR

Table 35: Europe 8-Year Perspective for Smart Medical Devices
by Distribution Channel - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales
for Online, Pharmacies and Other Distribution Channels for the
Years 2023 & 2030

FRANCE
Smart Medical Devices Market Presence - Strong/Active/Niche/
Trivial - Key Competitors in France for 2023 (E)
Table 36: France Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for
Smart Medical Devices by Product - Diagnostics & Monitoring
Devices and Therapeutic Devices - Independent Analysis of
Annual Sales in US$ Million for the Years 2022 through 2030 and
% CAGR

Table 37: France 8-Year Perspective for Smart Medical Devices
by Product - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for
Diagnostics & Monitoring Devices and Therapeutic Devices for
the Years 2023 & 2030

Table 38: France Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for
Smart Medical Devices by Distribution Channel - Online,
Pharmacies and Other Distribution Channels - Independent
Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for the Years 2022
through 2030 and % CAGR

Table 39: France 8-Year Perspective for Smart Medical Devices
by Distribution Channel - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales
for Online, Pharmacies and Other Distribution Channels for the
Years 2023 & 2030

GERMANY
Smart Medical Devices Market Presence - Strong/Active/Niche/
Trivial - Key Competitors in Germany for 2023 (E)
Table 40: Germany Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for
Smart Medical Devices by Product - Diagnostics & Monitoring
Devices and Therapeutic Devices - Independent Analysis of
Annual Sales in US$ Million for the Years 2022 through 2030 and
% CAGR

Table 41: Germany 8-Year Perspective for Smart Medical Devices
by Product - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for
Diagnostics & Monitoring Devices and Therapeutic Devices for
the Years 2023 & 2030

Table 42: Germany Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for
Smart Medical Devices by Distribution Channel - Online,
Pharmacies and Other Distribution Channels - Independent
Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for the Years 2022
through 2030 and % CAGR

Table 43: Germany 8-Year Perspective for Smart Medical Devices
by Distribution Channel - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales
for Online, Pharmacies and Other Distribution Channels for the
Years 2023 & 2030

ITALY
Table 44: Italy Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for
Smart Medical Devices by Product - Diagnostics & Monitoring
Devices and Therapeutic Devices - Independent Analysis of
Annual Sales in US$ Million for the Years 2022 through 2030 and
% CAGR

Table 45: Italy 8-Year Perspective for Smart Medical Devices by
Product - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Diagnostics &
Monitoring Devices and Therapeutic Devices for the Years 2023 &
2030

Table 46: Italy Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for
Smart Medical Devices by Distribution Channel - Online,
Pharmacies and Other Distribution Channels - Independent
Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for the Years 2022
through 2030 and % CAGR

Table 47: Italy 8-Year Perspective for Smart Medical Devices by
Distribution Channel - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for
Online, Pharmacies and Other Distribution Channels for the
Years 2023 & 2030

UNITED KINGDOM
Smart Medical Devices Market Presence - Strong/Active/Niche/
Trivial - Key Competitors in the United Kingdom for 2023 (E)
Table 48: UK Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for Smart
Medical Devices by Product - Diagnostics & Monitoring Devices
and Therapeutic Devices - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales
in US$ Million for the Years 2022 through 2030 and % CAGR

Table 49: UK 8-Year Perspective for Smart Medical Devices by
Product - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Diagnostics &
Monitoring Devices and Therapeutic Devices for the Years 2023 &
2030

Table 50: UK Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for Smart
Medical Devices by Distribution Channel - Online, Pharmacies
and Other Distribution Channels - Independent Analysis of
Annual Sales in US$ Million for the Years 2022 through 2030 and
% CAGR

Table 51: UK 8-Year Perspective for Smart Medical Devices by
Distribution Channel - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for
Online, Pharmacies and Other Distribution Channels for the
Years 2023 & 2030

REST OF EUROPE
Table 52: Rest of Europe Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis
for Smart Medical Devices by Product - Diagnostics & Monitoring
Devices and Therapeutic Devices - Independent Analysis of
Annual Sales in US$ Million for the Years 2022 through 2030 and
% CAGR

Table 53: Rest of Europe 8-Year Perspective for Smart Medical
Devices by Product - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for
Diagnostics & Monitoring Devices and Therapeutic Devices for
the Years 2023 & 2030

Table 54: Rest of Europe Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis
for Smart Medical Devices by Distribution Channel - Online,
Pharmacies and Other Distribution Channels - Independent
Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for the Years 2022
through 2030 and % CAGR

Table 55: Rest of Europe 8-Year Perspective for Smart Medical
Devices by Distribution Channel - Percentage Breakdown of Value
Sales for Online, Pharmacies and Other Distribution Channels
for the Years 2023 & 2030

ASIA-PACIFIC
Smart Medical Devices Market Presence - Strong/Active/Niche/
Trivial - Key Competitors in Asia-Pacific for 2023 (E)
Table 56: Asia-Pacific Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis
for Smart Medical Devices by Product - Diagnostics & Monitoring
Devices and Therapeutic Devices - Independent Analysis of
Annual Sales in US$ Million for the Years 2022 through 2030 and
% CAGR

Table 57: Asia-Pacific 8-Year Perspective for Smart Medical
Devices by Product - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for
Diagnostics & Monitoring Devices and Therapeutic Devices for
the Years 2023 & 2030

Table 58: Asia-Pacific Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis
for Smart Medical Devices by Distribution Channel - Online,
Pharmacies and Other Distribution Channels - Independent
Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for the Years 2022
through 2030 and % CAGR

Table 59: Asia-Pacific 8-Year Perspective for Smart Medical
Devices by Distribution Channel - Percentage Breakdown of Value
Sales for Online, Pharmacies and Other Distribution Channels
for the Years 2023 & 2030

REST OF WORLD
Table 60: Rest of World Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis
for Smart Medical Devices by Product - Diagnostics & Monitoring
Devices and Therapeutic Devices - Independent Analysis of
Annual Sales in US$ Million for the Years 2022 through 2030 and
% CAGR

Table 61: Rest of World 8-Year Perspective for Smart Medical
Devices by Product - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for
Diagnostics & Monitoring Devices and Therapeutic Devices for
the Years 2023 & 2030

Table 62: Rest of World Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis
for Smart Medical Devices by Distribution Channel - Online,
Pharmacies and Other Distribution Channels - Independent
Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for the Years 2022
through 2030 and % CAGR

Table 63: Rest of World 8-Year Perspective for Smart Medical
Devices by Distribution Channel - Percentage Breakdown of Value
Sales for Online, Pharmacies and Other Distribution Channels
for the Years 2023 & 2030

IV. COMPETITION
Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06032911/?utm_source=GNW

About Reportlinker
ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.

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Title:

Content: Friday 18 Shaban 1444 AH - 10 March 2023 |
Programs
Watch our latest episodes online
A new crisis.
Are pharmacies moving towards dollarization?
The head of the Pharmacists Captain Joe Salloum announced that the companies and warehouses have stopped the delivery of medicines to pharmacies since yesterday because of the high dollar and the lack of an indicator issued by the Ministry of Health.
He pointed out that he has always stood in the face of the demand of many for the dollar of medicines, because he considers that medicine is not a commodity, but a substance of life or death for the patient, and it is humiliating to force the citizen or pharmacist to beg the dollar from the black market tellers to get medicines.
But if the delivery of medicines is linked, so be it as long as we are left with no other choice!

Title:

Content: Staff burnout in healthcare is growing. Can AI help ease the burden?

เม.ย. 26, 2565 - Reading time 4-6 minutes

After a prolonged battle with the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare providers now face the next crisis that has been brewing even longer: staff shortages and an increasingly exhausted workforce. In early 2022, almost one in two (47%) healthcare professionals reported feeling burned out, up from 42% last year [1]. Many consider leaving the field, adding to the worries of employers who see growing demand for care without enough hands at the bedside to cater for their patients [2]. Can AI be part of the solution by helping healthcare professionals reclaim the joy in their work?

The signs of a pending burnout crisis were already there before COVID-19 wreaked havoc with health systems worldwide. And the causes run deeper than the stress inflicted by the pandemic. In many ways, the past two years have magnified what was ailing healthcare professionals all along: the draining repetitiveness of routine tasks, a growing deluge of data that leaves them scrambling for relevant insights, and widespread frustration about workflow inefficiencies that get in the way of attending to patients. As one physician expressed in the 2022 Medscape Physician Burnout and Depression survey: "Where’s the relationships with patients that used to make this worthwhile?" [3].

Healthcare providers face exodus of staff

It should come as no surprise, then, that healthcare has been among the top three industries impacted by the Great Resignation, with many healthcare professionals quitting their positions to find improved work-life balance [4]. And for healthcare organizations facing increased turnover, the worst may be yet to come. According to a new study by the American Medical Association, one in five physicians and two in five nurses intend to leave their current practice within the next two years [5].

As a result, staff shortages are now the number one concern keeping American hospital executives up at night [6]. Other countries around the world – from the UK and Germany to Singapore and Australia – are seeing a similar exodus of healthcare professionals, fueling fears about the potential impact on quality of care [7,8,9,10].

Simplifying workflows through AI-based automation

What we’re witnessing is an increased urgency to liberate healthcare professionals from the strain of tedious and repetitive tasks, so that they can focus on what drew them to medicine in the first place: caring for patients. It’s exactly what AI can help to make possible. By shifting the burden of tedious manual work from human to machine, AI allows healthcare professionals to apply their time and energy to the patient rather than to cumbersome processes.

Take medical imaging technologists, for example. Ranked #2 by hospital CEOs as the profession that is seeing the largest shortage of qualified staff [11], technologists have the daily challenge of achieving best-quality, first-time-right scans, with high workloads being the #1 contributor to job-related stress [12]. Patients are often anxious, too, which adds to the pressure on technologists to get the exam done effectively. Variability in training and experience levels of staff can further impact outcomes.

By automating many of the time-consuming tasks that technologists traditionally had to perform manually, we can free up their focus to interact with the patient, while improving consistency of results at the same time. Research shows that imaging staff welcome such support from technology – they believe that almost a quarter (23%) of their work is inefficient and could be automated [13].

Getting the patient in the right position for an exam is a case in point. In an imaging modality like CT, patient mispositioning is a common challenge, with unwanted consequences such as increased radiation dose to the patient or image noise [14]. That’s where new AI-enabled camera technology can make a difference. Mounted on the ceiling above the patient table, the camera uses algorithms that can automatically detect anatomical landmarks in the patient, supporting fast, accurate and consistent patient positioning.

Smart and touchless patient sensing technology is also saving technologists manual work in MR imaging, where it can automatically monitor a patient’s breathing – allowing the setup of routine MR exams to occur in less than a minute [15], even for less experienced operators, while helping them keep a caring eye on the patient. In addition, smart AI-enabled systems can suggest the most appropriate protocol for each MR exam, as well as automate exam planning, scanning, and processing.

Thanks to such AI-based automation, technologists have to worry less about equipment settings and can dedicate more attention to the patient, making their work less stressful and more rewarding.

Providing relevant insights at scale at the point of care

In the face of growing information overload, AI can also ease the burden on healthcare professionals by supporting them with relevant insights at the point of care.

For example, one of the biggest challenges facing critical care teams in intensive care units (ICUs) is the sheer volume of data collected on every patient. Each patient in the ICU may generate up to thousands of data points per day, leaving physicians and nurses feeling overwhelmed as they struggle to separate signal from noise [16].

Using predictive analytics, we can help critical care teams cut through the clutter by alerting them to relevant trends in patient data that call for urgent intervention, or which may indicate that a patient is ready to be transferred to a lower-acuity setting. The physician or nurse remains in control of all decisions. But with the support of AI, they may be able to make these decisions more easily.

In the future, AI-enabled patient monitoring solutions will increasingly be extended from the hospital into the home, allowing healthcare providers to keep a caring eye on patients and thereby prevent avoidable hospital (re)admissions. This could alleviate some of the pressure on overstretched emergency and critical care teams, while also giving patients greater peace of mind in the comfort of their homes.

The need for human-centered AI

Of course, technology can only be one part of effective staff retention and burnout mitigation strategies. But as these and other examples demonstrate, AI could go a long way towards enhancing the human experience in healthcare – both by improving workflow efficiencies and by augmenting clinical expertise.

Most importantly, to curb burnout and revive the joy in medicine, we need to ask how we can develop digital tools that support the patient-provider relationship rather than get in the way of it. Studies have consistently shown that lack of workflow integration is one of the main barriers to wider adoption of AI in healthcare, pointing to a need for human-centered design.

By putting people front and center, we can develop AI-based solutions that act as an unobtrusive assistant, supporting healthcare professionals at a time when they are under more pressure than ever before. Because if there’s one truth that the growing staffing and burnout crisis in healthcare is bringing to the fore, it’s that there is no healthcare without healthy and engaged healthcare professionals.

References
[1] https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/966996
[2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2542454821001260
[3] https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/966996
[4] https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.nr0.htm
[5] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2542454821001260
[6] https://healthexec.com/topics/healthcare-administration/hospital-ceos-workforce-shortages-challenging
[7] https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/feb/26/stressed-nhs-staff-quit-at-record-rate-of-400-a-week-fuelling-fears-over-care-quality
[8] https://www.iamexpat.de/career/employment-news/germanys-shortage-nursing-staff-continues-worsen
[9] https://www.smh.com.au/national/pandemic-triggers-mass-exodus-of-critical-care-nurses-20211116-p5998i.html
[10] https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/more-healthcare-workers-in-spore-resigning-amid-growing-fatigue-as-covid-19-drags
[11] https://healthexec.com/topics/healthcare-administration/hospital-ceos-workforce-shortages-challenging
[12] https://www.usa.philips.com/healthcare/medical-specialties/radiology/improving-radiology-staff-and-patient-experience/staff-research
[13] https://www.usa.philips.com/healthcare/medical-specialties/radiology/improving-radiology-staff-and-patient-experience/staff-research
[14] Habibzadeh MA, Ay MR, Asl AR, Ghadiri H, Zaidi H. Impact of miscentering on patient dose and image noise in x-ray CT imaging: phantom and clinical studies. Phys Med. 2012;28(3):191-199. http://doi:10.1016/j.ejmp.2011.06.002
[15] Based on in-house testing. Results may vary.
[16] https://hbr.org/2018/03/how-mayo-clinic-is-combating-information-overload-in-critical-care-units

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Title:

Content: Thursday 19 Jumada II 1444 AH - 12 January 2023 |
Programs
Watch our latest episodes online
The Fake Medicines Massacre...
Go ahead.
Did we really need to warn the WHO a few days ago about the existence of a counterfeit batch of Methotrexate in the Lebanese market to spend it?
Does anyone doubt which drug hole we've knocked ourselves down or we've been knocked down, it makes no difference?
This medicine is only used to treat children with cancer.
But why wonder?
The words “interruption, smuggling, and falsification ” are now synonymous with the word“ medicine. ”
The disease and the drug compete to kill the patient in other words.
It is the Lebanese dystopia to be solved.
A few days ago, an emergency trade union meeting was held by the liberal trade unions, the General Labor Union, the education associations and the teachers ’ union as a warning of total collapse.
What the participants in the meeting called for included stopping tampering with the constitution and working hard to elect a president at a time when sectors are falling apart and people are groaning.
There's no question about that claim, but is that all we need?
Who, above all, awakens the consciences of the mafias of smuggling, falsification and trading in the lives of patients and children - in collusion with some official authorities or under the misdemeanor of turning a blind eye - from their deep slumber?
A duck dome?
Captain Pharmacists, Dr. Joe Salloum, keeps raising the voice.
In an interview with Nidaa al-Watan, he recalled the waste of nearly $8 billion over the past three years as a result of smuggling subsidized medicine from Lebanon to neighboring countries.
He added: “What we are witnessing today from the sweep of counterfeit medicines to the Lebanese market is a ‘ payback ’ for what happened in the absence of legal and quality medicines, so that counterfeit medicines now constitute more than 50% of the medicine currently in Lebanon. ”
The Pharmacists Syndicate conducted a wide inspection tour of pharmacies and dispensaries as part of the “Not All Dua Dua ” campaign, in order to ensure that they are free of any unregistered medication.
However, according to Salloum, the problem is in the medicines sold on the black market and on social media: “It is as if there is a ‘ bat bat ’ from all forces to allow the entry of unregistered medicine into Lebanon under the pretext that we do not have medicine, ” he said.
Who is responsible for the drug market?
Everyone, without exception, says the audience.
For its part, the Pharmacists Syndicate has initiated several plans and studies, most notably during the “Lebanon Pharmaceutical Identity ” conference held last May, in cooperation with the World Health Organization, international companies, factories and the Ministry of Health.
The plans provided for the creation of a full partnership between all sectors and the maintenance of international offices that ensure the quality and control of medicines in the markets as well as the quality and quality of innovative medicines, as well as encouraging and stimulating the local industry, which is the cornerstone.
That's great, but how do we get there?
The doer...
Anonymous.
In this context, Salloum points out that putting the plans into practice requires the election of a president and the formation of a fully empowered government to be able to hold a donor conference, secure support for cancer drugs and, if approved, fund the health card.
“Let everyone who fails to do his part bear the responsibility of every hungry child, every patient who suffers and every person who resorts to counterfeit and smuggled medicine because of the inability of officials to provide him with good medicine. ”
The election of the president and the formation of the government in the refrigerator of waiting until God has decreed something was effective.
And betting on evolution is like hitting in the sand.
But Salloum considered that the Ministry of Health is making the necessary efforts despite the fact that the harassment and obstacles in the face of curbing the scourge of fraud are many.
What is more serious is the lack of possibility for the citizen, the doctor or even the pharmacist to ascertain the composition and effectiveness of a drug.
This is only for laboratories.
He added: "The funny and weeping thing about smuggling is that we still do not know until today who smuggled drugs worth $5 billion abroad, at a time when no one was punished and no party claimed responsibility for the matter."
Vortex of role distribution
The head of the National Social Health Authority, Dr. Ismail Sukkariya, goes further.
In a call with Nidaa al-Watan, he described the crisis as a “massacre of pharmaceutical prices at the ministerial seal. ”
He attributed this to years of division of roles between the Ministry of Health, the Governor of the Banque du Liban and drug dealers.
“This boring vortex that they have entered us into despite their false statements, in addition to covering the smuggling of subsidized medicines, as well as the smuggling of local medicine and emptying the Lebanese market of it, not to mention the storage process, which will expire in the next two months at the latest, all factors made them achieve imaginary figures amounting to billions of dollars depriving the Lebanese people of medicine, ” he says.
The customs administration was also not spared from sugar arrows.
He blamed her for the fact that drugs no longer enter for personal use but are more commercial in nature, adding: “There are traders who enter drugs in huge quantities and the customs administration knows that.
Everyone is immersed in corruption and we regret this cruelty and inhumanity in dealing, as if he wants to milk it until the last penny. ”
The result: missing drugs, others imported from abroad with the potential for fraud, and smuggled and counterfeit black market drugs whose composition is only known to the central laboratory.
It is an absentee laboratory by a political mafia decision, from a sugar point of view.
We return to the movement of the trade unions in light of that Mafia decision to ask Sukkariya in a similar way to the question of Aref about its feasibility, and he answers that linking the proposal of solutions to the issue of the election of a president of the republic aborted the basic idea of   the movement: « Yes we must have a president, but what will change after his election?
“Have we forgotten that things were disastrous even with a strong president? ”
No, we haven't forgotten.
Exceptional Solution
So where do the solutions come from?
“The solution is to go straight to the heart of the matter, and to name protected merchants with red lines and names.
The solution is also for the Minister of Health to dare to take a historical position for once, revealing the truth, exposing corruption and making the right decisions.
The solution is to hold the governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon accountable and remove the political cover from him. ”
But what about the solutions the unions are talking about?
There is no doubt that the solutions that are launched are correct in substance, but the questions are how to apply them to the impact of the unprecedented crisis.
Considering the activation of the health card as one of the most prominent of these solutions, he ruled out that government hospitals would have the ability, in their current state, to accommodate patients holding the cards, and that the state would have sources of insurance to cover the costs of the card for a period of not less than five years to ensure its continuity and success.
The difficulty of comprehensive solutions calls for working on an exceptional and emergency solution for 6 months, according to Sukkariya.
The only way to improve health is to first remove the remaining subsidies on some secondary consumables (coffee bleach, smoked somon, cashew nuts, for example) and replace them with indispensable drug subsidies.
This coincides with the restoration of contacts with the State of Sweden and other countries that for years offered to sell Lebanon cancer drugs from country to country, saving 50% of the price.
Of course, this was rejected at the time because it limits deals and brokerages.
Moreover, the state must establish a list of essential medicines, which the state must commit to securing, reactivating the central laboratory and supporting the local medicine provided that it is monitored.
Cry against the clock.
The list is long and we do not know if there is any capacity or intention to initiate it.
This is a cry from Salloum in the meantime: “We do not want any alternative medicine, whatever its source, until we are sure of its quality and quality.
Do not invade the country through random decisions that destroy the health sector, pharmacies and hospitals, whatever the reason.
Stop the smuggling and secure the medicine but the good from it.
The trade union meeting will not be an orphan but will be followed by escalating pressure movements.
We will continue to say in public what others say in private, but ask people to support us so that we can provide medicine while preserving their dignity without humiliation.
Enough suffering and violation of the most basic human rights. ”
For his part, he sees no need to stimulate the culture of citizenship among the Lebanese by working to open the door for them to discuss their daily problems, whether health or otherwise, and ways to confront corruption.
“Citizens – victims – are required to join forces to deliver voice and accountability.
“If there was someone there, we wouldn ’ t be here. ”
But reality is ruthless and does not wait.
Lebanon ’ s decline from 33rd place in 2019 to 50th place in the Global Healthcare Index is evidence of this.
Patients and their families do not care about indicators, plans, projects and mechanisms.
Many of the people we ’ ve asked, their first and last goal is to get medicine.
Any medicine.
If not from Lebanon, from India or Turkey and before and after.
Quality is peace.

Title:

Content: The Independent view

Britain must get ahead of the coming drug crisis

Editorial: The sooner the NHS, charities, public health authorities and police get on with preparing themselves, the better

Tuesday 26 December 2023 17:17
Comments

There are few things truly novel in the world of drug abuse, but the emergence of synthetic opioids being fraudulently marketed as genuine medicines is certainly a departure, and one that threatens a serious public health emergency.

As The Independent’s investigation reveals, the NHS, drug charities and the criminal justice system face what one expert in the field calls “a perfect storm”, with astonishingly strong synthetic opioids at the centre of the crisis. The deaths of almost 100 people in Britain are suspected to be linked to such synthetic opioids, with about half positively confirmed to be so.

Those involved in dealing with the consequences of this lethal trade expect a steep rise in fatalities. The increase in cases of anxiety and associated mental health conditions unfortunately creates an expanding market for fake tablets passed off as Valium and the like.

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Health Minister: Most of the problems we see are due to lack of funds
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2022
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Minister of Public Health Firas Al-Abyad said that "no one can afford the drugs for cancer and incurable diseases, and the Council of Ministers will support the item related to the support of the drug for four consecutive months."
He pointed out that "the crisis we are going through is unprecedented, as well as other factors such as administrative disruption and quarrels," adding: "Our problem is outside the scope of the ministry and we ask everyone to intensify efforts."
He said: “Most of the problems we ’ re seeing are the result of a lack of money.
We are going through exceptional circumstances and everyone should join hands to get the country out of the impasse. ”
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### Case Study 1: Lebanon – Surge in Counterfeit and Smuggled Medications

#### Background
Lebanon has faced a severe medication crisis, characterized by widespread shortages, smuggling, and the infiltration of counterfeit drugs into the market.

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Content: Monday 19 Dhu al-Hijjah 1443 AH - 18 July 2022 |
Programs
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Warning of a dangerous phenomenon: the spread of deadly drugs!
The Association of Pharmacy Owners issued the following statement: “The tragic situation reached by the reality of the pharmaceutical market has become alarming consequences for the health of patients. After most drug companies stopped delivering drugs to pharmacies for dispensing to their deserving patients, a serious phenomenon has emerged in the pharmaceutical market. He accuses, and patients are unaware of the consequences of taking such drugs of unknown origin and smuggled climatic conditions that make them turn from therapeutic drugs to toxic preparations that may cause serious complications, especially those that need constant cooling such as hormone needles, tetanus, insulin and others.
What is surprising is the spread of the markets of these (deadly) drugs away from the places licensed to hold medicines on the pages of communication and at the doors of houses of worship and inside the camps, where many Lebanese who seek their lost medicines go to these places to buy them in the absence of the state agencies who are supposed to protect the health of people and prevent their trade as if people are not enough to suffer injustice and oppression as a result of officials abandon their duty to secure their medicines Especially drugs for chronic diseases to leave them today for grabs in the hands of smugglers and traffickers in their health and lives.
In another context, some black market gangs falsify prescriptions and go to pharmacies to buy medicines at the official price to return and sell them in different places at prices more than 10 times the real price.
The Association of Assab Pharmacies calls on the Ministry of Health and the security services to stand up to their responsibilities to secure medicine and prevent deadly smuggling before the situation worsens and reaches the point of no return. ”

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Content: Wednesday 18 Jumada II 1444 AH - 11 January 2023 |
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A disaster in pharmacies.
Our children are in danger!
With a single word or a single word: “cut. ”
Often, this is the answer in pharmacies when you ask about a medicine or a bottle of milk for your child.
It is as if the country had emptied all the medicines at the same time, even as if it were a death sentence for those who decided to stay in Lebanon.
It is the most heinous form of torture experienced by our people today, which is not enough that it is plundered, stolen and condemned by the most failed and despicable politicians, but it is also deprived of medicine.
Different types of drugs are cut off, even those for chronic diseases that patients cannot miss taking at the specified time...
The search for a drug became more like a sinister journey from the north to the Bekaa in the south, and in vain tried to...
Worse, than mentioned above, is the interruption of antibiotic medicines for children, of which it is impossible to find a single package in all of Lebanon, and if you do, the date of its validity will be outdated, which is forcing parents to replace them with less effective drugs with larger calibers.
The Chief Pharmacist Joe Salloum explains the issue for one of two reasons. The first is that some medicines are still partially subsidized (between 20 and 30 percent), so the delay is caused by the absence of support funds and the delay in obtaining the prior approval to open a credit in the bank, which delays the import process.
The second reason is the problem that arose between companies importing medicines at home and those exporting abroad due to delays in the payment of bills, which made Lebanon last on the list of countries that give priority to obtaining medicines, and became the preference for others who commit to pay on time.
“A great disaster, ” Salloum describes the scene today in the pharmaceutical and hospital sector in Lebanon, calling for a comprehensive solution starting with the election of a president of the republic and the formation of a new government to develop an integrated plan for the problem of importing medicine.
Probably, as bad as we've experienced, we'll be waiting a long time for the president, the new government, and, of course, the comprehensive drug plan.
And in this lost time, one piece of advice for those who hold the helm of this crumbling country...
Beware of the anger of mothers who carry their child who groans from heat and disease and do not find a medicine to alleviate his pain...
Beware of their anger, which will be darker than your biggest nightmares.

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Content: 24 May 2022 - 13: 35
on the pharmacist strike.
The medicine crisis is over.
Only the patient pays the price.
Lebanon, news, lbci, pharmaceutical news, pharmacies, strike, the patient alone pays the price
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This is, in short, the case of any patient, in a country whose officials have not yet reached a radical solution to a crisis as old as the dollar crisis.
The higher the exchange rate, the more humiliated they are at the doors of pharmacies in search of a cut medicine.
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This situation has been exacerbated by economic collapse, governance failures, and systemic corruption.

#### Key Issues
- **Counterfeit Drugs**: In early 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a warning about a batch of

Title:

Content: Delayed withdrawal of expired and non-conforming medicines threatens the health of citizens Pharmacists demanding the activation of the drug tracking system
4
Despite the many publications and warnings issued by the Egyptian Drug Authority through its official pages on social networking sites during the past months, warning citizens against the spread of drugs that do not conform to specifications or expired within pharmacies. The Authority mentioned the names of many medicines and their operation numbers and advised citizens to avoid buying them because they pose a real danger to the health of citizens.
Indeed, the Authority has carried out a number of campaigns to withdraw these drugs, but there are pharmacies in remote villages and random areas that are almost far from the inspection areas.
However, no strict order has been issued to withdraw these medicines from the markets in those distant places where residents do not know anything about these decisions and publications and most pharmacies do not apply these decisions because there is no control over them. Next represent a serious risk to their health.
A number of pharmacists pointed out that sometimes there is a delay until the publications of the names of medicines do not match the pharmacies and there is no knowledge of them and these medicines can be returned to companies only after the publication of their names. Therefore, the solution lies in activating the drug tracking system to ensure the provision of safe and effective medicine to patients.
The drug tracking system is used in most countries of the world in order to track medicines from the beginning of production until they reach the consumer. This ensures the safety and quality of medicines through monitoring the supply. There are rolling varieties that do not conform to specifications.