# Comprehensive Report: Global Medication Shortages (2021-2024)

## Executive Summary
Medication shortages have emerged as a critical global health concern between 2021 and 2024, affecting both developed and developing countries worldwide.

This report examines specific cases of medication shortages, their causes, impacts on patients, and responses by health authorities across multiple regions.

## Affected Medications and Products

### Antibiotics and Respiratory Medications
- **Amoxicillin**: Experienced shortages in the European Union and United States, particularly during cold and flu seasons.

This antibiotic is essential for treating ear infections and bronchitis in both children and adults.

- **Children's antibiotics and fever reducers**: Estonia reported significant shortages of pediatric formulations in spring, forcing parents to search extensively for these essential medications.

- **Cold, flu, and respiratory infection medications**: The EU faced critical shortages of these medications, exacerbated by increased respiratory illness rates.

### Cancer Treatments
- **Carboplatin and cisplatin**: These essential chemotherapy drugs faced severe shortages in cancer centers, with many facilities experiencing complete inability to procure them by May of an unspecified year (likely 2023).

- **5-fluorouracil**: Following the cisplatin/carboplatin shortage, this cancer drug began experiencing shortages as well.

- **Cancer medications in Arab countries**: 27 out of 121 registered cancer drugs were unavailable, negatively affecting treatment efficacy at cancer centers.

### Other Critical Medications
- **Ozempic**: Originally developed for diabetes, this medication faced shortages due to sudden demand from people using it for weight loss.

- **Sorbister**: A medication for kidney patients that had to be distributed from Estonia's state reserve due to pharmacy shortages.

- **Paxlovid**: This COVID-19 antiviral medication became extremely scarce in China during infection surges.

- **Heart attack and stroke medications**: Hospitals in Estonia reported year-long supply issues with these critical medicines.

## Reasons Behind Shortages

### Supply Chain Disruptions
- **Raw material shortages**: European manufacturers reported insufficient active pharmaceutical ingredients, particularly those sourced from third countries.

- **Logistical delays**: Multiple regions, including Russia and provinces dependent on central distribution (like those relying on supplies from Honiara), experienced significant delays in drug delivery.

- **War-related disruptions**: Ukraine's ongoing war created additional difficulties for medication imports, though domestic production of 61% of essential medicines helped mitigate this issue.

### Manufacturing Issues
- **Production capacity constraints**: Insufficient manufacturing capabilities to meet demand, particularly noted in the EU.

- **Quality control problems**: The FDA cited quality issues as one factor contributing to US drug shortages.

- **Production delays**: Manufacturers experienced delays in producing medications and receiving raw materials.

- **Drug discontinuations**: Companies discontinuing older, less profitable drugs in favor of newer, more profitable alternatives.

### Demand Spikes
- **COVID-19 effects**: Weakened natural immunity due to pandemic protective measures led to increased spread of respiratory illnesses, driving up demand for related medications.

- **Off-label use**: Medications like Ozempic faced unexpected demand for uses not originally intended (weight loss).

- **Infection surges**: China's COVID-19 infection wave created unprecedented demand for antiviral medications.

- **Unfounded demand growth**: Ukraine reported "unfounded growth in demand" for certain medications.

## Impact on Ordinary Patients

### Treatment Disruptions
- Cancer patients faced particularly severe impacts, with doctors having to tell patients, "I have a treatment for you.

I don't know if you'll get it.

I don't know when you'll get it.

I don't know what dose I can give you.

"
- Some cancer patients had to completely change treatment plans, such as undergoing surgery before chemotherapy instead of the standard reverse order.

- Parents in Estonia struggled to find essential antibiotics and fever reducers for their children.

- Kidney patients in Estonia relied on state reserves to access Sorbister.

- Chinese patients with COVID-19 turned to black markets to purchase Paxlovid and unapproved generic alternatives.

### Financial Implications
- Patients previously had to pay full cost for alternative medications when their prescribed drugs were unavailable.

- Some health systems responded by extending discounts to alternative medications as an exception.

## Healthcare System Responses

### Government and Policy Responses
- **EU countries**: Implemented national-level measures to overcome shortages, though coordination challenges remained.

- **Estonia**: Released medications from state reserves and fostered cooperation among healthcare providers to prevent patient harm from shortages of heart attack and stroke medications.

- **Arab countries**: Re-launched tender processes previously deemed ineffective and signed new contracts to acquire essential medicines and supplies.

- **Ukraine**: Increased domestic production to 61% of essential medicines on the National List, reducing import dependency.

### Healthcare Provider Adaptations
- **Treatment modifications**: Cancer centers altered treatment sequences when necessary.

- **Alternative prescribing**: Doctors had to quickly find replacement medications, often with limited information about alternatives.

- **Supply chain management**: Some health offices worked to strengthen supply maintenance between deliveries, though this remained challenging.

### International Perspectives
- **Russia**: Reported no major threats to foreign medicine delivery despite logistical chain delays.

- **China**: Faced challenges with black market emergence due to severe shortages of antiviral medications.

## Conclusions and Recommendations
The global medication shortages between 2021-2024 demonstrate the fragility of pharmaceutical supply chains and the significant impacts on patient care.

The cases reveal that short-term solutions often lead to cascading shortages of other medications.

Long-term solutions should address:

1.

Diversification of manufacturing sources and raw material suppliers
2.

Improved coordination between national and international health authorities
3.

Strategic reserves of critical medications
4.

Policies to discourage discontinuation of essential older medications
5.

Better forecasting systems to anticipate demand spikes
6.

Enhanced communication systems to help healthcare providers identify appropriate alternatives

Without such comprehensive approaches, medication shortages will likely continue to affect patients worldwide, with potentially life-threatening consequences.

# Comprehensive Report: Global Medication Shortages (2021-2024)

## Executive Summary
Medication shortages have emerged as a critical global health concern between 2021 and 2024, affecting both developed and developing countries worldwide.

Title:

Content: There is not enough medicine in the EU
19 January 2023, 05: 20
ASTANA.
KAZINFORM - The European Union is suffering from a shortage of medicines.
Deficiency of antibiotics, such as amoxicillin, drugs against colds, flu and other respiratory infections, as well as some drugs for children, reports MIA "Kazinform" with reference to euronews.com.
In most countries, the situation is considered critical, but since such goods from pharmacies do not disappear at all, citizens are not advised to make stocks.
Doctors note a weakening in the population of natural immunity due to protection against coronavirus such as social distancing.
The main reasons for the sharp increase in demand, which have been identified, is the high prevalence of respiratory diseases with a lack of production capacity.
As pharmaceutical issues are being addressed at the national level, Governments are already taking steps to overcome the shortage
These measures include the sale of generics and the replacement of requested medicines with similar ones.
In some countries, some formulations have been changed, for example, drugs are offered in the form of syrups instead of tablets, so that children are more willing to take them.
"Pediatric drugs are generally now less available in the form of conventional tablets," said Steffen Tierstrup, chief medical officer of the European Medicines Agency. "Therefore, where children are more ill, the need for pediatric drugs is higher than for adult drugs."
A recent study showed that the shortage of drugs in Spain increased by 38% over the year.
The decline in their production was affected by inflation, high energy prices, shortages of raw materials and the effects of the pandemic.
“We need diversification, ” said Ilaria Passarani, head of the EU Pharmaceutical Group.“ Of course, it would be useful to return to Europe the production of some critical materials, such as active ingredients.
But we can't return all the production of all the materials we use for drugs.
This entails problems such as the increase in pharmacy prices associated with the implementation of environmental laws, labor laws, which are not necessarily enforced in other regions. ”
In March, the European Commission will present a revised version of the EU pharmaceutical legislation, which will include stricter supply obligations, earlier notification of shortages and seizures of medicines, and better informing the public about available stocks.
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Content: The number of people infected by the epidemic in China has soared, but "one medicine is hard to find", and people have turned to the black market for drugs
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With a surge in coronary infections across China, antiviral drugs such as Paxlovid produced by Pfizer are out of stock, forcing people to turn to the black market for drugs.
According to Bloomberg, the coronavirus epidemic in China is severe, the demand for antiviral drugs has soared, and it is difficult to find one medicine in pharmacies and hospitals everywhere.
People have sought online sales channels to buy drugs, including generic drugs manufactured elsewhere but not approved for sale in China.
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Content: LATEST NEWS
"We aim to bring medicine closer to the patient of Deep Algeria"
+ -
In an interview with Al-Khobar on the sidelines of the National Symposium of Algerian Pharmacists, the Director General of the Central Pharmacy, Mr. Ferhat Samir, stressed that there are efforts to provide medicine to patients in Algeria, including bringing medicine closer to patients in deep Algeria, and informing the cancer patient of medicines that were scarce in past times, explaining these and others in his next dialogue.
The central pharmacy is pointing fingers at hospitals about the scarcity of medicines, can you tell us about the responsibility of the institution towards this problem?
...
After I assumed the position of Director General of the Central Pharmacy of Hospitals, and after the preliminary analysis we carried out and the disclosure of the figures, it was obvious to announce some imbalances that were recorded at the level of the central pharmacy stores of hospitals, and in this area we had the first statements in which we announced the shortcomings that we recorded with regard to the depletion of a number of drugs, including cancer drugs. My first statement was about the lack of availability of 27 of the 121 drugs registered in the Central Pharmacy of hospitals blog, which has already negatively affected the effectiveness of the treatment provided by cancer treatment centers.
But the efforts exerted by all the workers of the central pharmacy of the hospitals, especially those related to the re-sending of requests for proposals, which had previously been declared useless, which we re-sent and enabled us to register and sign the appropriate contracts, for the acquisition of medicines and medical supplies with which we supported our warehouses and hospital pharmacy stores.
In this regard, he explained that as of September 2022, there was a continuous support for the stock of about 558 products for all therapeutic categories, including 105 products for the treatment of cancer patients, which enabled us to register a kind of stability, especially with regard to the drugs of cancer patients, which are affected by scarcity in particular. I would just like to clarify that the delay in receiving medicines has nothing to do with financial problems, especially since the debts of the central pharmacy of a number of hospitals, part of which has been paid by the public authorities, where the budget of the central pharmacy of hospitals has been strengthened by 75 billion dinars, represented by the debts paid under the Finance Law 2022, with a similar amount of 75 billion dinars, within the Finance Law 2023 will be paid in due time.
During your intervention at the opening of the National Symposium of Algerian Pharmacists, you promised that the month of Ramadan will be a good opening for our patients, as the scarcity of medicines will be eliminated before it arrives.
...
Indeed, she announced that the elimination of the scarcity of drugs for cancer drugs will be before the month of Ramadan, and confirmed that we will reach zero scarcity, God willing.
In order to clarify this point, it was pointed out that the measures taken in this area have made it possible to sign 98 contracts with the suppliers of the central pharmacy of hospitals. In order to eliminate scarcity, and in accordance with the laws and regulations available, we have initiated a procedure that allows us to enter into capital and buy shares with the supplier. Thus, everything that hinders the supply of medicine should be overcome.
Can you tell us about the future projects of the Central Hospital Pharmacy in bringing medicine closer to the patient across the country?
...
You should know that the central pharmacy of the hospitals has started to register some projects for the construction of accessories throughout the country, where an annex has been placed at the level of the province of Setif, which we will receive in the next few days, in addition to the supplements of Adrar, Warfala and Aghouat, which will start construction soon, not to mention the supplements already available, which are located throughout Annaba, Oran and Algiers. The expansion of the central pharmacy annexes to the hospitals is part of bringing the drug closer to the patient, as it will enable us to distribute the most appropriate drugs and deliver them to patients in Algeria.
Finally, Sir, you announced the availability of innovative medicines to the patient of Algeria in the near future, what about this procedure?
...
We have registered innovative medicines at the level of the National Agency for Pharmaceutical Materials, and we have placed them in the Central Hospital Pharmacy Acquisitions Code. These are about 30 innovative medicines for the treatment of various diseases, especially incurable ones, including cancer and other diseases such as blood diseases, selected in the framework of the various requests for proposals, with a special table for these products. The first year of the acquisition of these medicines will be a year of evaluation for us, and if there is no good return on the health of the patient, we will stop the acquisition of these medicines, especially since the contracts we signed are annual contracts that can be renewed or suspended.

Title:

Content: Drug supply problems have worsened in Estonia
This year, pharmacies in Estonia faced a much larger shortage of drugs than a year earlier.
Problems with supplies are caused by both increased demand and shortage of raw materials, reports rus.err with reference to "Actual chamber".
This spring, parents faced a shortage of antibiotics and antipyretic drugs suitable for children, and in the fall, the Sorbister drug for renal patients had to be issued from the state reserve stock, since it was not enough due to supply problems in pharmacies.
Hospitals are also facing a severe shortage of medicines this year.
“For example, hospitals use very important drugs to treat the consequences of heart attacks and strokes, the supply problems of which have been observed for a year, but thanks to good cooperation, we were able to ensure that no one was left without treatment, ” said Marco Tiisler, head of the Import and Export Supervision Department of the Drug Department.
In 2021, there was a shortage of 183 drugs in pharmacies, last year - 359, as of the end of this year - 450 drugs, and in the case of 130 drugs, the cause of the deficiency is unknown.
The second significant reason was a sudden surge in demand, for example, for the drug Ozempic, which is popular among those who lose weight, but drugs can be in short supply due to problems with production.
- Producers lack the active ingredient.
The active substances come from third countries, they are not always available, this was stated by one of the largest European manufacturers of antibiotics, - said Tiisler.
Drug supply problems put not only patients in a difficult position, but also doctors who have to quickly find replacements, sometimes in conditions of scarce information about alternatives.
If earlier, in the case of a shortage of drugs, the patient had to pay the full cost of the drug prescribed as a substitute, recently the Health Insurance Fund, as an exception, decided to extend the discount to some alternatives.
According to Lee Rootslane, head of the Union of Pharmacies, problems with the supply of medicines are a growing problem throughout Europe.
- This year, in cooperation with the Drug Department and family doctors, we made recommendations so that if a problem arises, we do not solve it after the fact, but try to provide some solutions and avoid panic.
In the case of children ’ s syrups, people read about the shortage of syrup, went to the pharmacy and took two syrups instead of the usual one, ” Rootslane said.
The drug department recommends having a weekly supply of non-prescription drugs and a monthly supply of prescription drugs at home.
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Content: Local healthcare facilities see rise in wait times as 'tripledemic' continues to rage

Healthcare experts are anticipating an increase in cases of COVID and seasonal illnesses associated with the so-called ‘tripledemic’ as the holiday season brings family and friends together.

Dr. Heather Osher, Medical Director of Patient First, says her facility is seeing increased wait times as more fall ill. To avoid overcrowding, Osher says it's important to keep tabs on their website.

"I tell people, as far as Patient First, you can always go on the website and see if the center is busy right now," Osher said.

People who fall ill should try to avoid large crowds to prevent spreading their sickness. As such, Dr. Osher suggests taking advantage of telehealth to talk to a healthcare provider about treatments.

"They’ll go on here real time with the camera and the computer, talk to them and diagnose, and we can do it all the computer electronically," Osher said.

While the passing of illness remains prevalent this winter, pharmacies are facing a shortage of over-the-counter and prescription medications to help alleviate patient's symptoms.

"It’s been a nightmare for the last few months getting in all children’s products," said Kourtney Chichilitti, a Pharmacist at Parkway Pharmacy.

On Tuesday night Parkway Pharmacy had only about 100 bottles of Children’s Motrin for families in need.

Title:

Content: In Israeli pharmacies shortage of drugs: details
The shortage is due to logistics problems and increased demand.
In health insurance funds and private pharmacies, there is an acute shortage of cold medicines, the demand for which is growing in the winter.
This is reported by Mako.
In many pharmacies, it is impossible to find individual types of "Akamol" (paracetamol).
There was a shortage of medicines for colds, coughs, sore throats.
The shortage is due, among other things, to logistics problems and increased demand.
Pharmacists Association Chairman David Pepo spoke to the deputy director of the Department of Pharmacy at the Ministry of Health last week, and nothing has been done since, he said.
Earlier we told that soon in Israel will launch a pilot project on the operation of autonomous buses, which will result in the country will appear commercial bus routes with cars without drivers.
Now announced four groups of companies that have won the competition of the Ministry of Transport for the implementation of the pilot project.
The cost of the pilot project is 61 million shekels, half of which is provided by the state.
It was organized jointly by the Ministry of Transport, the Public Transport Authority, the Innovation Authority and Netivei Ayalon.
Find out more here.
Cursor also reported that the number of tourists in Israel has been growing since the beginning of the year.
So, since January 2022, 2.2 million tourists have visited the country.
There was also an increase in the number of Israelis who left the country as tourists.
In addition, the Ministry of Health took measures in connection with concerns about the shortage of epidural anesthesia kits.
Read the latest news from Israel and the world on the Kursor channel in Telegram.
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The Minister of Public Health in the caretaker government, Dr. Hamad Hassan, held a meeting with the heads of directorates and departments in the Ministry of Public Health, in which he discussed the path that is being followed to devise solutions in the health field, especially with regard to the crisis of medicine and the hospital sector.
In his intervention, Hassan was keen to thank the staff of the Ministry individually because they are still committed to supporting the citizen despite all the difficult circumstances prevailing.
With regard to medicine, he announced a recent agreement reached after several meetings including the Pharmaceutical Importers Syndicate and the Central Bank, in which the bank confirmed the continuation of the monthly support of the drug in the amount of fifty million dollars, and began to see the effects of this in the hope of continuing to regulate imports as quickly as possible, as pledged by the importing companies of medicines under some detail that is coordinated with the bank.
In this regard, Minister Hassan announced that "the Central Bank approved three weeks ago bills for pharmaceutical companies worth eighty-seven million dollars (87 million dollars), and a week ago on eleven million dollars (11 million dollars), adding that today the Central Bank approves the import of medicines worth thirty million dollars (30 million dollars), which must achieve a breakthrough in the drug crisis in a period ranging from five days to a week, especially with regard to medicines for cancer and incurable diseases." Infant Vaccines and Baby Milk ".
The Minister of Public Health confirmed that he is in the process of forming the technical academic committee to study the files submitted for emergency import under conditions that ensure quality and competitive prices, hoping that permits will be given to this import at the beginning of next week.
He called for "not to rely on the negatives marketed in some media and social media," stressing that the Ministry of Public Health "is reliable and works within the laws in force, and all it aspires to at this stage is to succeed in keeping up with the citizen in this crisis and alleviate its burdens."
He added: “Today, the pricing index was introduced by adhering to sixty-five percent of the market exchange rate. ”
Minister Hassan explained that the pricing on 12 thousand Lebanese pounds took into account that the companies bear 15 percent on the basis of the 85 / 15 agreement and 20 percent marketing, distribution and conferences is not the time now, so 35 percent of the market price is deducted; if this price is 18 thousand Lebanese pounds becomes 12 thousand pounds after the aforementioned discount, and if the exchange rate 21 thousand pounds becomes 13 thousand and five hundred pounds after the discount.
He pointed out that the final decision regarding the pricing of OTC and Acute drugs has been issued and all warehouse owners, importers and stockholders should know this, and the importers union is aware of this, and 90 percent of importers have agreed to import within the pricing of 65 percent of the dollar exchange rate in the market.
Hospitals
Hassan addressed the issue of hospitals, stressing that "in coordination with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Ms. Zeina Akar, the adoption of a new tariff soon for medical laboratory and radiological works," adding: "The insurance of fuel for hospitals was discussed yesterday in the government serail, where the Minister of Energy unanimously adopted the provision of fuel for hospitals and not to abandon them."
"The hand is extended to anyone willing to help."
Pandemic.
On the epidemiological issue, Minister Hassan pointed to a "significant increase in cases," wishing citizens "to register on the vaccine platform, noting that this registration achieved a record yesterday with the number of twenty-two thousand people," thanking all those who help the Ministry of Public Health, whether the World Bank or friendly countries that provide donations of vaccines such as Kuwait and Qatar.
Minister Hassan renewed the call for "the adoption of muzzle and distance and the conduct of activities in the open air, especially with the presence of a large amount of expatriation in Lebanon," regretting the difficulty of tracking expatriation and contacts, as it turns out that "the phone numbers given to teams monitoring the ministry are inaccurate, which poses a danger to society."
He mentioned the two hot numbers for receiving complaints, communications and reviews: 1214 and 1787.
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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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Title:

Content: Low on supply – treating schizophrenia

Injecting medicine Credit: RF._.Studio, Pexels

In 2021, 50,400 people in the Netherlands were registered with schizophrenia. Today, all of the schizophrenia patients in the country are suffering from a low supply of the much-needed medication, Zypadhera.

Psychiatrists in the country are now advised against starting new treatments with Zypadhera. This drug produces Olanzapine, a substance which inhibits delusions and hallucinations for people who suffer from psychosis and is usually used from a period of six months to several years, given by injections.

The substance is still available for existing users but in smaller doses, as the medication agency cites “problems with production and distribution at the manufacturer.”

Due to the medication shortage, schizophrenia patients will now have to receive a dose of 300 milligrams once every three weeks, instead of a 405 milligrams every four weeks, as stated in the temporary treatment advice from the National Medicines Coordination Centre.

The centre had previously spoken of a “structural availability problem” of the drug.

With these shortages in consideration, new patients will have to omit using Zypadhera altogether, despite its effectiveness and opt for alternative medical treatment.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

This report examines specific cases of medication shortages, their causes, impacts on patients, and responses by health authorities across multiple regions.

Title:

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

Content: Local healthcare facilities see rise in wait times as 'tripledemic' continues to rage

Healthcare experts are anticipating an increase in cases of COVID and seasonal illnesses associated with the so-called ‘tripledemic’ as the holiday season brings family and friends together.

Dr. Heather Osher, Medical Director of Patient First, says her facility is seeing increased wait times as more fall ill. To avoid overcrowding, Osher says it's important to keep tabs on their website.

"I tell people, as far as Patient First, you can always go on the website and see if the center is busy right now," Osher said.

People who fall ill should try to avoid large crowds to prevent spreading their sickness. As such, Dr. Osher suggests taking advantage of telehealth to talk to a healthcare provider about treatments.

"They’ll go on here real time with the camera and the computer, talk to them and diagnose, and we can do it all the computer electronically," Osher said.

While the passing of illness remains prevalent this winter, pharmacies are facing a shortage of over-the-counter and prescription medications to help alleviate patient's symptoms.

"It’s been a nightmare for the last few months getting in all children’s products," said Kourtney Chichilitti, a Pharmacist at Parkway Pharmacy.

On Tuesday night Parkway Pharmacy had only about 100 bottles of Children’s Motrin for families in need.

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.
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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: Newswise — OAK BROOK, Ill. (May 19, 2022) – Recent disruptions in a pharmaceutical supply chain have impacted the global availability of GE Healthcare Omnipaque™ iohexol iodinated contrast media (ICM) for radiologic examinations. A new Special Report published in the journal Radiology provides consensus recommendations for dealing with the shortage of ICM in the near term and discusses long-term issues and potential solutions to supply chain problems.

“We are facing issues similar to those we faced in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, caused by a limited supply of an important pharmaceutical, critical to our ability to care for our patients,” said Thomas M. Grist, M.D., chair of the Department of Radiology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison and lead author of the Radiology Special Report. “One important difference, however, is that our hospitals and health systems are more adept at establishing incident command centers to implement rapid responses to the challenges we face and communicating those changes to our patients and referring physicians.”

Iohexol is a common agent used in a multitude of CT and X-ray exams. The iohexol shortage has created a national challenge to radiology’s collective ability to provide health care to patients needing these exams and will have short- and potentially long-term impact on quality medical care.

Although four companies supply ICM to the U.S., other manufacturers are unable to rapidly scale up ICM production to meet the demand created by the reduction in iohexol.

The shortage traces its origins to the recent COVID-19-related shutdown of a manufacturing facility in Shanghai, China. In an April 19 letter to consumers, GE Healthcare announced it would be limiting orders of iohexol. The facility has since reopened with production output currently at 50% and expected to increase. GE Healthcare has also expanded production capacity at its manufacturing site in Cork, Ireland.

“It is too easy for us to take for granted the readily available supply of something that is so important to our patients and our radiologic practices until it’s gone,” Dr. Grist said. “We need to commit to changing the supply chain so that a single event in a faraway country does not put us in this predicament again. We owe it to our patients who trust us with their lives and well-being every day of the year.”

The shortage has already had an effect on patient care. Across the U.S., hospitals dependent on iohexol are postponing treatment-monitoring imaging for cancer patients, as they attempt to preserve the contrast material for the most urgent cases.

The Special Report offers strategies for mitigating the impact of the shortage. Short-term strategies include establishing an incident command center to direct and monitor ICM usage, delaying elective contrast-enhanced CT exams, converting exams to non-contrast when possible, reducing contrast dose, and substituting other types of exams, such as MRI, ultrasound or non-contrast PET-CT.

Strategies for the coming months include contrast repackaging, multi-use, and multi-access tactics, negotiation with payers on billing and reimbursement, and consistent communication with ordering providers to ensure compliance.

Long-term strategies include advocating for legislation to facilitate contrast manufacturing plants in the U.S., improving institutional inventory of contrast supplies, and supporting the vendors to expand manufacturing.

“RSNA and its journals are committed to providing critical guidance to help our members navigate challenging times,” said RSNA President, Bruce G. Haffty, M.D. “This Radiology Special Report provides helpful strategies for managing the iodinated contrast shortage and offers practical recommendations for mitigating the impact of future shortages of this type on the radiology community and our patients.”

The authors hope that the radiology and hospital communities will take this lesson as a wake-up call to adapt the radiology supply chain to prevent similar emergencies in the future.

“We need to endeavor to ensure that companies with significant market share have diverse production locations and capacity,” Dr. Grist said. “We should also look at the ancillary components for ICM administration and make certain we have adequate supplies in stock. Any and all supplies we use may be the next subject of shortages over the next few months or years.”

See also: Iodinated Contrast Shortage Challenges Radiologists.

###

Short-, Mid-, and Long-Term Strategies to Manage the Shortage of Iohexol.” Collaborating with Dr. Grist were Cheri L. Canon, M.D., Elliot K. Fishman, M.D., Maureen P. Kohi, M.D., and Mahmud Mossa-Basha, M.D.

Radiology is edited by David A. Bluemke, M.D., Ph.D., University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, and owned and published by the Radiological Society of North America, Inc. (RSNA) (https://pubs.rsna.org/journal/radiology)

RSNA is an association of radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists promoting excellence in patient care and health care delivery through education, research and technologic innovation. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Illinois. (RSNA.org)

For patient-friendly information on contrast materials, visit RadiologyInfo.org.

SEE ORIGINAL STUDY

Title:

Content: Healthcare companies moved higher as tech companies continue to enter the space.

Facebook parent Meta Platforms has created a tool to predict the structure of hundreds of millions of proteins using artificial intelligence. Researchers say it promises to deepen scientists' understanding of biology, and perhaps speed the discovery of new drugs.

Meanwhile, a drug used to extend the lives of people with advanced prostate cancer is in short supply and will be for months, leaving some patients with no treatment option as the manufacturer works to ramp up production. The Food and Drug Administration said last week the availability of Pluvicto is limited as manufacturer Novartis struggles to meet demand. The drugmaker said the shortage stems from manufacturing and delivery issues.

Write to Amy Pessetto at amy.pessetto@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

03-16-23 1727ET

Title:

Content: In Israeli pharmacies shortage of drugs: details
The shortage is due to logistics problems and increased demand.
In health insurance funds and private pharmacies, there is an acute shortage of cold medicines, the demand for which is growing in the winter.
This is reported by Mako.
In many pharmacies, it is impossible to find individual types of "Akamol" (paracetamol).
There was a shortage of medicines for colds, coughs, sore throats.
The shortage is due, among other things, to logistics problems and increased demand.
Pharmacists Association Chairman David Pepo spoke to the deputy director of the Department of Pharmacy at the Ministry of Health last week, and nothing has been done since, he said.
Earlier we told that soon in Israel will launch a pilot project on the operation of autonomous buses, which will result in the country will appear commercial bus routes with cars without drivers.
Now announced four groups of companies that have won the competition of the Ministry of Transport for the implementation of the pilot project.
The cost of the pilot project is 61 million shekels, half of which is provided by the state.
It was organized jointly by the Ministry of Transport, the Public Transport Authority, the Innovation Authority and Netivei Ayalon.
Find out more here.
Cursor also reported that the number of tourists in Israel has been growing since the beginning of the year.
So, since January 2022, 2.2 million tourists have visited the country.
There was also an increase in the number of Israelis who left the country as tourists.
In addition, the Ministry of Health took measures in connection with concerns about the shortage of epidural anesthesia kits.
Read the latest news from Israel and the world on the Kursor channel in Telegram.
Author of the material:
TAGS:

Title:

Content: How the Chemotherapy Shortage Is Affecting Frontline Clinicians

— "How are we here in 2023 having some of these discussions?" bemoans gynecologic cancer expert

MedpageToday
  • Emily Hutto is an Associate Video Producer & Editor for MedPage Today. She is based in Manhattan.

In this exclusive Instagram Live clip, Jeremy Faust, MD, editor-in-chief of MedPage Today, and Eleonora Teplinsky, MD, head of Breast and Gynecologic Medical Oncology for Valley-Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center in Paramus, New Jersey, discuss how the recent shortage of the chemotherapy mainstays cisplatin and carboplatin have impacted cancer patients and frontline clinicians.

The following is a transcript of their remarks:

Faust: Dr. Teplinsky, let me ask you about your side as a frontline clinician in this area. As an ER doctor, I don't type in, "Let's give a patient cisplatin." That's not an order that I put in. So, how long have you been seeing shortages like this that affect your patients?

Teplinsky: I would say around April -- again, talking about this particular shortage with carboplatin and cisplatin -- I think around April we started hearing about it. But it was one of those things, I'll be honest, where you're like, "Oh, this can't possibly happen. This is happening somewhere else. This isn't affecting us."

Then I think NBC ran an article on it. Then for a month nothing happened, and then all of a sudden, I would say in May, it really kind of exploded in the sense that many, [the] majority of cancer centers were either experiencing complete absence of drugs or shortage of drugs. They weren't able to procure it from their suppliers.

That quickly made its way to the patients not being able to get the drug, or having to sit in front of a patient and say, "I have a treatment for you. I don't know if you'll get it. I don't know when you'll get it. I don't know what dose I can give you."

And imagine, you're already facing this life-changing diagnosis, but there are drugs -- you just don't know when you'll get them. I think that we don't talk enough about that emotional toll that takes on patients, because the uncertainty that everyone was facing was really quite tragic.

Faust: When you had that conversation with a patient -- I guess it depends on the kind of cancer, doesn't it? Because there are certain oncologic conditions where we're so fortunate that we have many, many regimens. Maybe this one is a tiny bit better than that one and you're sort of scraping out on your Kaplan-Meier curves, your survival curves, a couple of months here. Are you able to reassure your patients, or does it really depend on the kind of cancer that we're talking about?

Teplinsky: It really depends on the kind of cancer.

I will say that the Society of Gynecologic Oncology really led the way with this because, unlike in other cancers where you can substitute, in gynecologic cancers it's really hard -- you need the platinum drugs. So they led the way. And then ASCO, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, followed and came up with guidelines for clinicians about when you can substitute, what you could substitute. Can we spread out the dosing, so instead of every 3 weeks, can we give it every 4 weeks to make the drug last longer? Can you reduce the dose?

Conversations that, again -- how are we here in 2023 and having some of these discussions? But that's kind of what happened.

The challenge really was: do we have data to substitute? Will you sacrifice the efficacy if you switch from one drug to another? Then as a result, if now everyone is shifting to this drug, do we have supply for the other drugs? So I think [they really were] very difficult discussions. And again, for some disease types we were able to make that switch, but not for all.

Faust: OK. I want to jump over in just a second to some of the policy side, but let me stick with you for one moment just to pursue that point a little further.

I study outcomes, mostly with COVID, but lots of other things too. But when you're making these switches, I know that in pediatric oncology, for example, they're always tweaking and testing and saying, "Let's compare A to B and see how they do." As this is happening, is this just too chaotic for anyone to stop and say, "Well, actually this is a little bit of an unfortunate opportunity to see well, are these biosimilars actually behaving decently comparably?" Or is it just too random for anything to be learned from this?

Teplinsky: Yeah, I think that it would've been great to be able to study, but it was too erratic because everyone was at different points in their treatment cycles. Some people had gotten five cycles and they had one more left. Other people were just starting out. Some of those patients we had to pivot and not do chemotherapy first, for example, and do surgery first where we normally wouldn't. So the circumstances and the situations were each too different to actually look at this in a cohesive way.

I do think that, fortunately, people moved fairly quickly to try to get drugs and try to increase supply. So we were in this bad point for a couple weeks, but it started to recover, but now we're seeing a different shortage of 5-fluorouracil.

I am curious about this from the policy side, but unless we really come up with long-term solutions, the short-term solutions are going to just lead us to another drug shortage in 3 more months for something else.

Faust: You mentioned the word "allocation" and that set off a thought that I wanted to talk about on the clinical side. So Dr. Teplinsky, we know that drugs don't reach every community equally, right? There are certainly "haves" and "have-nots" and the in-between. From the standpoint of oncology, do we sense that when shortages happen, there's a disparity in terms of who's affected?

Teplinsky: Absolutely. I mean, I think we have to keep in mind that the majority of patients are still treated in the community setting.

For this particular shortage, NCCN, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, did a study of multiple NCCN sites and they found that about 93% were affected by the shortage in some way. What we don't have information on, again, is in terms of exactly which settings were more affected than others.

Understandably, patients, if they are treated in a community site that maybe is not a big center -- that's a small site that purchases a very small amount and didn't stockpile -- those people are going to be predominantly affected. And very often they cannot travel to a bigger site that has more resources if they're in a setting where this is the only site or they are limited by socioeconomic disparities.

Absolutely, this heightens the already ongoing disparities that we see in cancer treatment. Absolutely.

Faust: In terms of how that plays out for your patient population or your colleagues, does this lead to your job being a lot of case management, in a sense? You know the medicine, you know the drugs, but what you need to figure out is who has what and who can go where. Is that really where a lot of resources and your time get spent in your office?

Teplinsky: I mean, that's part of it.

I think the challenge too is that, a couple months ago, no one knew when more drugs would arrive. So a lot of places were also sharing with each other, but they were also hesitant about taking on new patients, right? Because if we can't even provide for our existing patients, what's that going to look like?

But I think the other piece that really is challenging is, if you do have a limited supply, who do you prioritize it to? This was something we saw in COVID also in terms of access to care when the pandemic was at its height. The same thing now: do you give [the drugs] to the person that is going to be cured, hopefully, with this, or someone who needs it for a palliative reason? But how do you make that distinction?

I think those are really challenging questions and really hard decisions for physicians to have to make.

Faust: What do you tell a friend -- not a patient, because a patient's coming to you and you're going to treat them -- if someone says, "Look, I got a biopsy and they're sending me to this oncology center or that one," would you tell them to look into this? You don't want to go down a pathway with a wonderful practice who actually can't treat you, when across the street for reasons that we just discussed a minute ago -- some negotiation or someone got it ahead of a stampede in a panic -- they have the drug.

Would you advise patients who are looking at this landscape to behave any differently than they would've in another environment?

Teplinsky: Absolutely. I mean, I'm a firm believer that patients have to be their best advocate and you have to be your own advocate. I think it's a very appropriate question to say when you're meeting a practice, "I know that my regimen is recommended to have carboplatin," for example, "Can you talk about where your institution or cancer center or hospital is with regards to these shortages?" I think that those are very valid questions.

Part of the things that we say: what should you ask your oncologist? I think in this space and time that we're in, that should be part of the list. Because again, like you said, you don't want to all be set up for treatment to find out that they don't actually have the drug.

I think the challenge is in patients who are not able to do that, who are not able to go somewhere else, and that's really hard.

Faust: Yeah. It's interesting to me, again, I'm an ER doctor, but I work in a pretty fancy magnet hospital. People always come to us for second opinions or for the magic stuff that Dana-Farber [Cancer Institute] might have, as if it's any different.

In some cases, look, we have wonderful experts and we have some experimental treatments that are unavailable everywhere else. But a lot of times when it's straightforward, I kind of feel like we've got a nation of really, really qualified oncologists. You don't need to fly halfway across the country to get first-line treatment. And yet, some people actually would do that. They want that name brand.

But now you could argue that the big-name brands are probably the ones that have the most purchasing power and bargaining power, so all of a sudden it might matter, right?

Teplinsky: Yeah, I think we don't know. And it varies. I mean, some of the biggest cancer centers were actually the ones experiencing some of the bigger shortages.

Faust: Oh, really?

Teplinsky: It was very variable throughout the country, but you could see on Twitter, people were sharing, "Who's got the drug? Who doesn't have the drug?" So it really was very surprising, actually, that this hospital had it, this cancer center didn't, and vice versa.

It's also such a fluctuating state, right? You might have it tomorrow, you might not have it the next week, which is why I think this was so hard for patients because there was no guarantee of when it would come back. I think that really exacerbated all of it as well.

Title:

Content: DRUG SHORTAGE IN MALAITA

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BY SAMIE WAIKORI

Malaita province is facing a shortage of medicine, a problem which has been ongoing for nearly a month.

Malaria cases are also reportedly increasing in Auki and surrounding communities.

Patients to clinics are being sent home with only paracetamol. Few clinics are down to their last supplies with children’s Coartem tablets (anti-malarial drug) which is being given to adults.

The province’s health authority has confirmed this drug shortage to Island Sun.

Supervising Director Dr David Danitofea admitted to the paper yesterday that the province is indeed facing drug shortage.

He however explains that it is cyclical – there will be a period of drug shortage before their stocks are replenished from Honiara.

Danitofea says there has never been a time where drugs were in full supply when new stocks arrived.

“This is a normal issue as supplies are coming, distributed, run-out and supply continues to come.

“Recently, I was submitted with a list of drugs that the province is without and my office is working on to get supply soon,” he said.

Danitofea adds that this same problem is faced by other provinces as well.

He concurs that ideally health authorities should ensure that there is no period of drug shortage before replenishment of stock.

“Sadly, that is not the reality,” he said.

Danitofea said this is one of the challenges his office is facing especially on how to maintain drug supply, given the delay of supply from Honiara has become the new normal.

“This is an area my office will try to strengthen making sure supplies are maintained until we receive new supplies, though it will be challenging,” he said.

Island Sun Auki has received reports that for nearly a month sick patients especially those diagnosed with malaria were advised to receive home-care or referred either to Kilu’ufi hospital or other clinics with prescriptions.

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Title:

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.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

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

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.

Title:

Content: Low on supply – treating schizophrenia

Injecting medicine Credit: RF._.Studio, Pexels

In 2021, 50,400 people in the Netherlands were registered with schizophrenia. Today, all of the schizophrenia patients in the country are suffering from a low supply of the much-needed medication, Zypadhera.

Psychiatrists in the country are now advised against starting new treatments with Zypadhera. This drug produces Olanzapine, a substance which inhibits delusions and hallucinations for people who suffer from psychosis and is usually used from a period of six months to several years, given by injections.

The substance is still available for existing users but in smaller doses, as the medication agency cites “problems with production and distribution at the manufacturer.”

Due to the medication shortage, schizophrenia patients will now have to receive a dose of 300 milligrams once every three weeks, instead of a 405 milligrams every four weeks, as stated in the temporary treatment advice from the National Medicines Coordination Centre.

The centre had previously spoken of a “structural availability problem” of the drug.

With these shortages in consideration, new patients will have to omit using Zypadhera altogether, despite its effectiveness and opt for alternative medical treatment.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

## Affected Medications and Products

### Antibiotics and Respiratory Medications
- **Amoxicillin**: Experienced shortages in the European Union and United States, particularly during cold and flu seasons.

Title:

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

Content: Drug supply problems have worsened in Estonia
This year, pharmacies in Estonia faced a much larger shortage of drugs than a year earlier.
Problems with supplies are caused by both increased demand and shortage of raw materials, reports rus.err with reference to "Actual chamber".
This spring, parents faced a shortage of antibiotics and antipyretic drugs suitable for children, and in the fall, the Sorbister drug for renal patients had to be issued from the state reserve stock, since it was not enough due to supply problems in pharmacies.
Hospitals are also facing a severe shortage of medicines this year.
“For example, hospitals use very important drugs to treat the consequences of heart attacks and strokes, the supply problems of which have been observed for a year, but thanks to good cooperation, we were able to ensure that no one was left without treatment, ” said Marco Tiisler, head of the Import and Export Supervision Department of the Drug Department.
In 2021, there was a shortage of 183 drugs in pharmacies, last year - 359, as of the end of this year - 450 drugs, and in the case of 130 drugs, the cause of the deficiency is unknown.
The second significant reason was a sudden surge in demand, for example, for the drug Ozempic, which is popular among those who lose weight, but drugs can be in short supply due to problems with production.
- Producers lack the active ingredient.
The active substances come from third countries, they are not always available, this was stated by one of the largest European manufacturers of antibiotics, - said Tiisler.
Drug supply problems put not only patients in a difficult position, but also doctors who have to quickly find replacements, sometimes in conditions of scarce information about alternatives.
If earlier, in the case of a shortage of drugs, the patient had to pay the full cost of the drug prescribed as a substitute, recently the Health Insurance Fund, as an exception, decided to extend the discount to some alternatives.
According to Lee Rootslane, head of the Union of Pharmacies, problems with the supply of medicines are a growing problem throughout Europe.
- This year, in cooperation with the Drug Department and family doctors, we made recommendations so that if a problem arises, we do not solve it after the fact, but try to provide some solutions and avoid panic.
In the case of children ’ s syrups, people read about the shortage of syrup, went to the pharmacy and took two syrups instead of the usual one, ” Rootslane said.
The drug department recommends having a weekly supply of non-prescription drugs and a monthly supply of prescription drugs at home.
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Title:

Content: Advertisement

London man without medication after Shoppers Drug Mart systems issue

A technical issue for Shoppers Drug Mart has left one London man without medication for days.

Roy Steinbach says he went into his local Shoppers last Saturday to get his various prescriptions filled. He says he was turned away due to a systems issue.

Loblaws, the parent company of Shoppers Drug Mart, confirmed Thursday that the pharmacy has been experiencing issues with drug prescriptions for several days.

A spokesperson for Loblaws says intermitted issues have impacted some locations’ ability to fulfill prescriptions.

The company says most stores are back online and working through the resulting backlog. It added there was no systems or data breach.

Read more: Food inflation — Shoppers turn to saving hacks long used by older Canadians

Read next: Ford government to allow out-of-province nurses to start work immediately in Ontario

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While Loblaws says the issue has been mostly resolved, Steinbach’s problems have only continued.

Steinbach says after not being able to fill his prescription over the weekend, Shoppers Drug Mart is now trying to charge him hundreds of dollars even though his medication is covered through the Ontario Disability Support Program.

Steinbach says after attempting to fill his multiple prescriptions last Saturday, he received a call earlier this week saying they were ready.

However, he was told on the phone he would be billed for some of the medicine.

After first paying and receiving an immediate refund, Steinbach says Shoppers called him Thursday requesting an up-front payment totalling $280 for some of the medication.

Read more: ‘Nothing is available’ — Pharmacies experiencing shortage of adult cold and flu medication

Read next: Halifax doctors worry announced ER improvements won’t work due to lack of beds

As a pensioner on the ODSP, Steinbach says he cannot afford the prescriptions.

“I have medications that I absolutely need daily and so I’ve been out for a few days and I’m afraid of getting sick,” Steinbach said.

Steinbach says in his most recent communication with the pharmacy Thursday, Shoppers told him it now had no record of him being on ODSP or being charged and then refunded just days ago.

Story continues below advertisement

“I don’t understand with such a large company why they haven’t fixed it yet,” said Steinbach, who added he has not received any estimate of when his issue could be resolved.

No alternatives were proposed to Steinbach by the pharmacy in how to remedy the situation, he says.

Shoppers did not provide an answer on when all issues can expect to be resolved.

Sponsored content

Title:

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.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

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

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.

This antibiotic is essential for treating ear infections and bronchitis in both children and adults.

Title:

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.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

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

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.

- **Children's antibiotics and fever reducers**: Estonia reported significant shortages of pediatric formulations in spring, forcing parents to search extensively for these essential medications.

Title:

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

Title:

Content: Drug supply problems have worsened in Estonia
This year, pharmacies in Estonia faced a much larger shortage of drugs than a year earlier.
Problems with supplies are caused by both increased demand and shortage of raw materials, reports rus.err with reference to "Actual chamber".
This spring, parents faced a shortage of antibiotics and antipyretic drugs suitable for children, and in the fall, the Sorbister drug for renal patients had to be issued from the state reserve stock, since it was not enough due to supply problems in pharmacies.
Hospitals are also facing a severe shortage of medicines this year.
“For example, hospitals use very important drugs to treat the consequences of heart attacks and strokes, the supply problems of which have been observed for a year, but thanks to good cooperation, we were able to ensure that no one was left without treatment, ” said Marco Tiisler, head of the Import and Export Supervision Department of the Drug Department.
In 2021, there was a shortage of 183 drugs in pharmacies, last year - 359, as of the end of this year - 450 drugs, and in the case of 130 drugs, the cause of the deficiency is unknown.
The second significant reason was a sudden surge in demand, for example, for the drug Ozempic, which is popular among those who lose weight, but drugs can be in short supply due to problems with production.
- Producers lack the active ingredient.
The active substances come from third countries, they are not always available, this was stated by one of the largest European manufacturers of antibiotics, - said Tiisler.
Drug supply problems put not only patients in a difficult position, but also doctors who have to quickly find replacements, sometimes in conditions of scarce information about alternatives.
If earlier, in the case of a shortage of drugs, the patient had to pay the full cost of the drug prescribed as a substitute, recently the Health Insurance Fund, as an exception, decided to extend the discount to some alternatives.
According to Lee Rootslane, head of the Union of Pharmacies, problems with the supply of medicines are a growing problem throughout Europe.
- This year, in cooperation with the Drug Department and family doctors, we made recommendations so that if a problem arises, we do not solve it after the fact, but try to provide some solutions and avoid panic.
In the case of children ’ s syrups, people read about the shortage of syrup, went to the pharmacy and took two syrups instead of the usual one, ” Rootslane said.
The drug department recommends having a weekly supply of non-prescription drugs and a monthly supply of prescription drugs at home.
Comments
Back to top

Title:

Content: Local healthcare facilities see rise in wait times as 'tripledemic' continues to rage

Healthcare experts are anticipating an increase in cases of COVID and seasonal illnesses associated with the so-called ‘tripledemic’ as the holiday season brings family and friends together.

Dr. Heather Osher, Medical Director of Patient First, says her facility is seeing increased wait times as more fall ill. To avoid overcrowding, Osher says it's important to keep tabs on their website.

"I tell people, as far as Patient First, you can always go on the website and see if the center is busy right now," Osher said.

People who fall ill should try to avoid large crowds to prevent spreading their sickness. As such, Dr. Osher suggests taking advantage of telehealth to talk to a healthcare provider about treatments.

"They’ll go on here real time with the camera and the computer, talk to them and diagnose, and we can do it all the computer electronically," Osher said.

While the passing of illness remains prevalent this winter, pharmacies are facing a shortage of over-the-counter and prescription medications to help alleviate patient's symptoms.

"It’s been a nightmare for the last few months getting in all children’s products," said Kourtney Chichilitti, a Pharmacist at Parkway Pharmacy.

On Tuesday night Parkway Pharmacy had only about 100 bottles of Children’s Motrin for families in need.

Title:

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.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

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

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.

- **Cold, flu, and respiratory infection medications**: The EU faced critical shortages of these medications, exacerbated by increased respiratory illness rates.

Title:

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

Title:

Content: The number of people infected by the epidemic in China has soared, but "one medicine is hard to find", and people have turned to the black market for drugs
Subscriber
Font Size:
With a surge in coronary infections across China, antiviral drugs such as Paxlovid produced by Pfizer are out of stock, forcing people to turn to the black market for drugs.
According to Bloomberg, the coronavirus epidemic in China is severe, the demand for antiviral drugs has soared, and it is difficult to find one medicine in pharmacies and hospitals everywhere.
People have sought online sales channels to buy drugs, including generic drugs manufactured elsewhere but not approved for sale in China.
Sign up to continue reading the full article!
LIKE Our official Facebook page for more information

Title:

Content: Drug supply problems have worsened in Estonia
This year, pharmacies in Estonia faced a much larger shortage of drugs than a year earlier.
Problems with supplies are caused by both increased demand and shortage of raw materials, reports rus.err with reference to "Actual chamber".
This spring, parents faced a shortage of antibiotics and antipyretic drugs suitable for children, and in the fall, the Sorbister drug for renal patients had to be issued from the state reserve stock, since it was not enough due to supply problems in pharmacies.
Hospitals are also facing a severe shortage of medicines this year.
“For example, hospitals use very important drugs to treat the consequences of heart attacks and strokes, the supply problems of which have been observed for a year, but thanks to good cooperation, we were able to ensure that no one was left without treatment, ” said Marco Tiisler, head of the Import and Export Supervision Department of the Drug Department.
In 2021, there was a shortage of 183 drugs in pharmacies, last year - 359, as of the end of this year - 450 drugs, and in the case of 130 drugs, the cause of the deficiency is unknown.
The second significant reason was a sudden surge in demand, for example, for the drug Ozempic, which is popular among those who lose weight, but drugs can be in short supply due to problems with production.
- Producers lack the active ingredient.
The active substances come from third countries, they are not always available, this was stated by one of the largest European manufacturers of antibiotics, - said Tiisler.
Drug supply problems put not only patients in a difficult position, but also doctors who have to quickly find replacements, sometimes in conditions of scarce information about alternatives.
If earlier, in the case of a shortage of drugs, the patient had to pay the full cost of the drug prescribed as a substitute, recently the Health Insurance Fund, as an exception, decided to extend the discount to some alternatives.
According to Lee Rootslane, head of the Union of Pharmacies, problems with the supply of medicines are a growing problem throughout Europe.
- This year, in cooperation with the Drug Department and family doctors, we made recommendations so that if a problem arises, we do not solve it after the fact, but try to provide some solutions and avoid panic.
In the case of children ’ s syrups, people read about the shortage of syrup, went to the pharmacy and took two syrups instead of the usual one, ” Rootslane said.
The drug department recommends having a weekly supply of non-prescription drugs and a monthly supply of prescription drugs at home.
Comments
Back to top

Title:

Content: In Israeli pharmacies shortage of drugs: details
The shortage is due to logistics problems and increased demand.
In health insurance funds and private pharmacies, there is an acute shortage of cold medicines, the demand for which is growing in the winter.
This is reported by Mako.
In many pharmacies, it is impossible to find individual types of "Akamol" (paracetamol).
There was a shortage of medicines for colds, coughs, sore throats.
The shortage is due, among other things, to logistics problems and increased demand.
Pharmacists Association Chairman David Pepo spoke to the deputy director of the Department of Pharmacy at the Ministry of Health last week, and nothing has been done since, he said.
Earlier we told that soon in Israel will launch a pilot project on the operation of autonomous buses, which will result in the country will appear commercial bus routes with cars without drivers.
Now announced four groups of companies that have won the competition of the Ministry of Transport for the implementation of the pilot project.
The cost of the pilot project is 61 million shekels, half of which is provided by the state.
It was organized jointly by the Ministry of Transport, the Public Transport Authority, the Innovation Authority and Netivei Ayalon.
Find out more here.
Cursor also reported that the number of tourists in Israel has been growing since the beginning of the year.
So, since January 2022, 2.2 million tourists have visited the country.
There was also an increase in the number of Israelis who left the country as tourists.
In addition, the Ministry of Health took measures in connection with concerns about the shortage of epidural anesthesia kits.
Read the latest news from Israel and the world on the Kursor channel in Telegram.
Author of the material:
TAGS:

Title:

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.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

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

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.

### Cancer Treatments
- **Carboplatin and cisplatin**: These essential chemotherapy drugs faced severe shortages in cancer centers, with many facilities experiencing complete inability to procure them by May of an unspecified year (likely 2023).

- **5-fluorouracil**: Following the cisplatin/carboplatin shortage, this cancer drug began experiencing shortages as well.

- **Cancer medications in Arab countries**: 27 out of 121 registered cancer drugs were unavailable, negatively affecting treatment efficacy at cancer centers.

### Other Critical Medications
- **Ozempic**: Originally developed for diabetes, this medication faced shortages due to sudden demand from people using it for weight loss.

Title:

Content: Drug supply problems have worsened in Estonia
This year, pharmacies in Estonia faced a much larger shortage of drugs than a year earlier.
Problems with supplies are caused by both increased demand and shortage of raw materials, reports rus.err with reference to "Actual chamber".
This spring, parents faced a shortage of antibiotics and antipyretic drugs suitable for children, and in the fall, the Sorbister drug for renal patients had to be issued from the state reserve stock, since it was not enough due to supply problems in pharmacies.
Hospitals are also facing a severe shortage of medicines this year.
“For example, hospitals use very important drugs to treat the consequences of heart attacks and strokes, the supply problems of which have been observed for a year, but thanks to good cooperation, we were able to ensure that no one was left without treatment, ” said Marco Tiisler, head of the Import and Export Supervision Department of the Drug Department.
In 2021, there was a shortage of 183 drugs in pharmacies, last year - 359, as of the end of this year - 450 drugs, and in the case of 130 drugs, the cause of the deficiency is unknown.
The second significant reason was a sudden surge in demand, for example, for the drug Ozempic, which is popular among those who lose weight, but drugs can be in short supply due to problems with production.
- Producers lack the active ingredient.
The active substances come from third countries, they are not always available, this was stated by one of the largest European manufacturers of antibiotics, - said Tiisler.
Drug supply problems put not only patients in a difficult position, but also doctors who have to quickly find replacements, sometimes in conditions of scarce information about alternatives.
If earlier, in the case of a shortage of drugs, the patient had to pay the full cost of the drug prescribed as a substitute, recently the Health Insurance Fund, as an exception, decided to extend the discount to some alternatives.
According to Lee Rootslane, head of the Union of Pharmacies, problems with the supply of medicines are a growing problem throughout Europe.
- This year, in cooperation with the Drug Department and family doctors, we made recommendations so that if a problem arises, we do not solve it after the fact, but try to provide some solutions and avoid panic.
In the case of children ’ s syrups, people read about the shortage of syrup, went to the pharmacy and took two syrups instead of the usual one, ” Rootslane said.
The drug department recommends having a weekly supply of non-prescription drugs and a monthly supply of prescription drugs at home.
Comments
Back to top

- **Sorbister**: A medication for kidney patients that had to be distributed from Estonia's state reserve due to pharmacy shortages.

Title:

Content: There are problems, but there will be no shortage: pharmacies explained why there are not always the necessary drugs on sale
The ongoing war, unjustified growth in demand and problems with production lead to a short-term absence of certain drugs in pharmacies.
Martial law imposes additional difficulties on the import of medicines, but Ukrainian pharmaceutical companies have practically solved this problem: they produce 61% of medicines from the National List of Medicines.
About this Delo.ua told pharmacists and manufacturers.
In the pharmacy holding ANC explain that they fix several main reasons why some positions may disappear in the network:
1.
Due to the martial law in the country, the supply of goods from abroad is irregular, because not every carrier is ready to transport the goods to a country where hostilities continue;
2.
In such cases, insurance companies do not cover the transportation of goods due to high risks;
3.
Completion of the registration period of the goods;
4.
The company producing the goods decided to leave the Ukrainian market.
While data on foreign trade are available only in the context of 4 digits of the code UKTVED, more detailed statistics are not published in the conditions of martial law.
But these data also indicate a reduction in the supply of drugs from abroad, which was confirmed in Goslikluzhba.
Pharmacists note that they do not affect suppliers or the supply of goods.
If the drug is absent from the main distributors, the pharmacist can only recommend analogues to the client in the positions that he can offer.
“At the same time, unfortunately, there is no alternative for unique imported drugs.
Probably, if the state provided manufacturers and suppliers with additional guarantees, this could change the situation, ” adds Maria Semenova.
At the same time, as noted in the pharmaceutical company "Darnitsa", with temporary problems with the presence of a foreign medicine, Ukrainian manufacturers can offer generics of similar quality.
Pharmacists agree that manufacturers are successfully closing the gap in the market, but note that they do not produce innovative new drugs of the latest generations and original drugs, as well as drugs necessary for the treatment of rare diseases.
At the same time, the reduction of imports of medicines to Ukraine has a positive effect - it contributes to the growth of the production of domestic medicines.
Because, as noted in "Darnitsa", an increase in the production of domestic drugs leads to GDP growth, the number of jobs and tax revenues to the country's budget.

Title:

Content: Drug supply problems have worsened in Estonia
This year, pharmacies in Estonia faced a much larger shortage of drugs than a year earlier.
Problems with supplies are caused by both increased demand and shortage of raw materials, reports rus.err with reference to "Actual chamber".
This spring, parents faced a shortage of antibiotics and antipyretic drugs suitable for children, and in the fall, the Sorbister drug for renal patients had to be issued from the state reserve stock, since it was not enough due to supply problems in pharmacies.
Hospitals are also facing a severe shortage of medicines this year.
“For example, hospitals use very important drugs to treat the consequences of heart attacks and strokes, the supply problems of which have been observed for a year, but thanks to good cooperation, we were able to ensure that no one was left without treatment, ” said Marco Tiisler, head of the Import and Export Supervision Department of the Drug Department.
In 2021, there was a shortage of 183 drugs in pharmacies, last year - 359, as of the end of this year - 450 drugs, and in the case of 130 drugs, the cause of the deficiency is unknown.
The second significant reason was a sudden surge in demand, for example, for the drug Ozempic, which is popular among those who lose weight, but drugs can be in short supply due to problems with production.
- Producers lack the active ingredient.
The active substances come from third countries, they are not always available, this was stated by one of the largest European manufacturers of antibiotics, - said Tiisler.
Drug supply problems put not only patients in a difficult position, but also doctors who have to quickly find replacements, sometimes in conditions of scarce information about alternatives.
If earlier, in the case of a shortage of drugs, the patient had to pay the full cost of the drug prescribed as a substitute, recently the Health Insurance Fund, as an exception, decided to extend the discount to some alternatives.
According to Lee Rootslane, head of the Union of Pharmacies, problems with the supply of medicines are a growing problem throughout Europe.
- This year, in cooperation with the Drug Department and family doctors, we made recommendations so that if a problem arises, we do not solve it after the fact, but try to provide some solutions and avoid panic.
In the case of children ’ s syrups, people read about the shortage of syrup, went to the pharmacy and took two syrups instead of the usual one, ” Rootslane said.
The drug department recommends having a weekly supply of non-prescription drugs and a monthly supply of prescription drugs at home.
Comments
Back to top

- **Paxlovid**: This COVID-19 antiviral medication became extremely scarce in China during infection surges.

Title:

Content: The number of people infected by the epidemic in China has soared, but "one medicine is hard to find", and people have turned to the black market for drugs
Subscriber
Font Size:
With a surge in coronary infections across China, antiviral drugs such as Paxlovid produced by Pfizer are out of stock, forcing people to turn to the black market for drugs.
According to Bloomberg, the coronavirus epidemic in China is severe, the demand for antiviral drugs has soared, and it is difficult to find one medicine in pharmacies and hospitals everywhere.
People have sought online sales channels to buy drugs, including generic drugs manufactured elsewhere but not approved for sale in China.
Sign up to continue reading the full article!
LIKE Our official Facebook page for more information

- **Heart attack and stroke medications**: Hospitals in Estonia reported year-long supply issues with these critical medicines.

Title:

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

Title:

Content: Drug supply problems have worsened in Estonia
This year, pharmacies in Estonia faced a much larger shortage of drugs than a year earlier.
Problems with supplies are caused by both increased demand and shortage of raw materials, reports rus.err with reference to "Actual chamber".
This spring, parents faced a shortage of antibiotics and antipyretic drugs suitable for children, and in the fall, the Sorbister drug for renal patients had to be issued from the state reserve stock, since it was not enough due to supply problems in pharmacies.
Hospitals are also facing a severe shortage of medicines this year.
“For example, hospitals use very important drugs to treat the consequences of heart attacks and strokes, the supply problems of which have been observed for a year, but thanks to good cooperation, we were able to ensure that no one was left without treatment, ” said Marco Tiisler, head of the Import and Export Supervision Department of the Drug Department.
In 2021, there was a shortage of 183 drugs in pharmacies, last year - 359, as of the end of this year - 450 drugs, and in the case of 130 drugs, the cause of the deficiency is unknown.
The second significant reason was a sudden surge in demand, for example, for the drug Ozempic, which is popular among those who lose weight, but drugs can be in short supply due to problems with production.
- Producers lack the active ingredient.
The active substances come from third countries, they are not always available, this was stated by one of the largest European manufacturers of antibiotics, - said Tiisler.
Drug supply problems put not only patients in a difficult position, but also doctors who have to quickly find replacements, sometimes in conditions of scarce information about alternatives.
If earlier, in the case of a shortage of drugs, the patient had to pay the full cost of the drug prescribed as a substitute, recently the Health Insurance Fund, as an exception, decided to extend the discount to some alternatives.
According to Lee Rootslane, head of the Union of Pharmacies, problems with the supply of medicines are a growing problem throughout Europe.
- This year, in cooperation with the Drug Department and family doctors, we made recommendations so that if a problem arises, we do not solve it after the fact, but try to provide some solutions and avoid panic.
In the case of children ’ s syrups, people read about the shortage of syrup, went to the pharmacy and took two syrups instead of the usual one, ” Rootslane said.
The drug department recommends having a weekly supply of non-prescription drugs and a monthly supply of prescription drugs at home.
Comments
Back to top

## Reasons Behind Shortages

### Supply Chain Disruptions
- **Raw material shortages**: European manufacturers reported insufficient active pharmaceutical ingredients, particularly those sourced from third countries.

Title:

Content: There are problems, but there will be no shortage: pharmacies explained why there are not always the necessary drugs on sale
The ongoing war, unjustified growth in demand and problems with production lead to a short-term absence of certain drugs in pharmacies.
Martial law imposes additional difficulties on the import of medicines, but Ukrainian pharmaceutical companies have practically solved this problem: they produce 61% of medicines from the National List of Medicines.
About this Delo.ua told pharmacists and manufacturers.
In the pharmacy holding ANC explain that they fix several main reasons why some positions may disappear in the network:
1.
Due to the martial law in the country, the supply of goods from abroad is irregular, because not every carrier is ready to transport the goods to a country where hostilities continue;
2.
In such cases, insurance companies do not cover the transportation of goods due to high risks;
3.
Completion of the registration period of the goods;
4.
The company producing the goods decided to leave the Ukrainian market.
While data on foreign trade are available only in the context of 4 digits of the code UKTVED, more detailed statistics are not published in the conditions of martial law.
But these data also indicate a reduction in the supply of drugs from abroad, which was confirmed in Goslikluzhba.
Pharmacists note that they do not affect suppliers or the supply of goods.
If the drug is absent from the main distributors, the pharmacist can only recommend analogues to the client in the positions that he can offer.
“At the same time, unfortunately, there is no alternative for unique imported drugs.
Probably, if the state provided manufacturers and suppliers with additional guarantees, this could change the situation, ” adds Maria Semenova.
At the same time, as noted in the pharmaceutical company "Darnitsa", with temporary problems with the presence of a foreign medicine, Ukrainian manufacturers can offer generics of similar quality.
Pharmacists agree that manufacturers are successfully closing the gap in the market, but note that they do not produce innovative new drugs of the latest generations and original drugs, as well as drugs necessary for the treatment of rare diseases.
At the same time, the reduction of imports of medicines to Ukraine has a positive effect - it contributes to the growth of the production of domestic medicines.
Because, as noted in "Darnitsa", an increase in the production of domestic drugs leads to GDP growth, the number of jobs and tax revenues to the country's budget.

Title:

Content: Drug supply problems have worsened in Estonia
This year, pharmacies in Estonia faced a much larger shortage of drugs than a year earlier.
Problems with supplies are caused by both increased demand and shortage of raw materials, reports rus.err with reference to "Actual chamber".
This spring, parents faced a shortage of antibiotics and antipyretic drugs suitable for children, and in the fall, the Sorbister drug for renal patients had to be issued from the state reserve stock, since it was not enough due to supply problems in pharmacies.
Hospitals are also facing a severe shortage of medicines this year.
“For example, hospitals use very important drugs to treat the consequences of heart attacks and strokes, the supply problems of which have been observed for a year, but thanks to good cooperation, we were able to ensure that no one was left without treatment, ” said Marco Tiisler, head of the Import and Export Supervision Department of the Drug Department.
In 2021, there was a shortage of 183 drugs in pharmacies, last year - 359, as of the end of this year - 450 drugs, and in the case of 130 drugs, the cause of the deficiency is unknown.
The second significant reason was a sudden surge in demand, for example, for the drug Ozempic, which is popular among those who lose weight, but drugs can be in short supply due to problems with production.
- Producers lack the active ingredient.
The active substances come from third countries, they are not always available, this was stated by one of the largest European manufacturers of antibiotics, - said Tiisler.
Drug supply problems put not only patients in a difficult position, but also doctors who have to quickly find replacements, sometimes in conditions of scarce information about alternatives.
If earlier, in the case of a shortage of drugs, the patient had to pay the full cost of the drug prescribed as a substitute, recently the Health Insurance Fund, as an exception, decided to extend the discount to some alternatives.
According to Lee Rootslane, head of the Union of Pharmacies, problems with the supply of medicines are a growing problem throughout Europe.
- This year, in cooperation with the Drug Department and family doctors, we made recommendations so that if a problem arises, we do not solve it after the fact, but try to provide some solutions and avoid panic.
In the case of children ’ s syrups, people read about the shortage of syrup, went to the pharmacy and took two syrups instead of the usual one, ” Rootslane said.
The drug department recommends having a weekly supply of non-prescription drugs and a monthly supply of prescription drugs at home.
Comments
Back to top

Title:

Content: In Israeli pharmacies shortage of drugs: details
The shortage is due to logistics problems and increased demand.
In health insurance funds and private pharmacies, there is an acute shortage of cold medicines, the demand for which is growing in the winter.
This is reported by Mako.
In many pharmacies, it is impossible to find individual types of "Akamol" (paracetamol).
There was a shortage of medicines for colds, coughs, sore throats.
The shortage is due, among other things, to logistics problems and increased demand.
Pharmacists Association Chairman David Pepo spoke to the deputy director of the Department of Pharmacy at the Ministry of Health last week, and nothing has been done since, he said.
Earlier we told that soon in Israel will launch a pilot project on the operation of autonomous buses, which will result in the country will appear commercial bus routes with cars without drivers.
Now announced four groups of companies that have won the competition of the Ministry of Transport for the implementation of the pilot project.
The cost of the pilot project is 61 million shekels, half of which is provided by the state.
It was organized jointly by the Ministry of Transport, the Public Transport Authority, the Innovation Authority and Netivei Ayalon.
Find out more here.
Cursor also reported that the number of tourists in Israel has been growing since the beginning of the year.
So, since January 2022, 2.2 million tourists have visited the country.
There was also an increase in the number of Israelis who left the country as tourists.
In addition, the Ministry of Health took measures in connection with concerns about the shortage of epidural anesthesia kits.
Read the latest news from Israel and the world on the Kursor channel in Telegram.
Author of the material:
TAGS:

Title:

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.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

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

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.

- **Logistical delays**: Multiple regions, including Russia and provinces dependent on central distribution (like those relying on supplies from Honiara), experienced significant delays in drug delivery.

Title:

Content: Novye Izvestia
1,283 followers
Mikhail Murashko: there are no big threats to the delivery of foreign medicines to Russia
Logistics chains give delays, Murashko told reporters, but today the ministry does not see any failures or big threats.
Back to article
Picture of the day
top

Title:

Content: DRUG SHORTAGE IN MALAITA

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BY SAMIE WAIKORI

Malaita province is facing a shortage of medicine, a problem which has been ongoing for nearly a month.

Malaria cases are also reportedly increasing in Auki and surrounding communities.

Patients to clinics are being sent home with only paracetamol. Few clinics are down to their last supplies with children’s Coartem tablets (anti-malarial drug) which is being given to adults.

The province’s health authority has confirmed this drug shortage to Island Sun.

Supervising Director Dr David Danitofea admitted to the paper yesterday that the province is indeed facing drug shortage.

He however explains that it is cyclical – there will be a period of drug shortage before their stocks are replenished from Honiara.

Danitofea says there has never been a time where drugs were in full supply when new stocks arrived.

“This is a normal issue as supplies are coming, distributed, run-out and supply continues to come.

“Recently, I was submitted with a list of drugs that the province is without and my office is working on to get supply soon,” he said.

Danitofea adds that this same problem is faced by other provinces as well.

He concurs that ideally health authorities should ensure that there is no period of drug shortage before replenishment of stock.

“Sadly, that is not the reality,” he said.

Danitofea said this is one of the challenges his office is facing especially on how to maintain drug supply, given the delay of supply from Honiara has become the new normal.

“This is an area my office will try to strengthen making sure supplies are maintained until we receive new supplies, though it will be challenging,” he said.

Island Sun Auki has received reports that for nearly a month sick patients especially those diagnosed with malaria were advised to receive home-care or referred either to Kilu’ufi hospital or other clinics with prescriptions.

Share

- **War-related disruptions**: Ukraine's ongoing war created additional difficulties for medication imports, though domestic production of 61% of essential medicines helped mitigate this issue.

Title:

Content: There are problems, but there will be no shortage: pharmacies explained why there are not always the necessary drugs on sale
The ongoing war, unjustified growth in demand and problems with production lead to a short-term absence of certain drugs in pharmacies.
Martial law imposes additional difficulties on the import of medicines, but Ukrainian pharmaceutical companies have practically solved this problem: they produce 61% of medicines from the National List of Medicines.
About this Delo.ua told pharmacists and manufacturers.
In the pharmacy holding ANC explain that they fix several main reasons why some positions may disappear in the network:
1.
Due to the martial law in the country, the supply of goods from abroad is irregular, because not every carrier is ready to transport the goods to a country where hostilities continue;
2.
In such cases, insurance companies do not cover the transportation of goods due to high risks;
3.
Completion of the registration period of the goods;
4.
The company producing the goods decided to leave the Ukrainian market.
While data on foreign trade are available only in the context of 4 digits of the code UKTVED, more detailed statistics are not published in the conditions of martial law.
But these data also indicate a reduction in the supply of drugs from abroad, which was confirmed in Goslikluzhba.
Pharmacists note that they do not affect suppliers or the supply of goods.
If the drug is absent from the main distributors, the pharmacist can only recommend analogues to the client in the positions that he can offer.
“At the same time, unfortunately, there is no alternative for unique imported drugs.
Probably, if the state provided manufacturers and suppliers with additional guarantees, this could change the situation, ” adds Maria Semenova.
At the same time, as noted in the pharmaceutical company "Darnitsa", with temporary problems with the presence of a foreign medicine, Ukrainian manufacturers can offer generics of similar quality.
Pharmacists agree that manufacturers are successfully closing the gap in the market, but note that they do not produce innovative new drugs of the latest generations and original drugs, as well as drugs necessary for the treatment of rare diseases.
At the same time, the reduction of imports of medicines to Ukraine has a positive effect - it contributes to the growth of the production of domestic medicines.
Because, as noted in "Darnitsa", an increase in the production of domestic drugs leads to GDP growth, the number of jobs and tax revenues to the country's budget.

Title:

Content: Novye Izvestia
1,283 followers
Mikhail Murashko: there are no big threats to the delivery of foreign medicines to Russia
Logistics chains give delays, Murashko told reporters, but today the ministry does not see any failures or big threats.
Back to article
Picture of the day
top

### Manufacturing Issues
- **Production capacity constraints**: Insufficient manufacturing capabilities to meet demand, particularly noted in the EU.

Title:

Content: Healthcare companies moved higher as tech companies continue to enter the space.

Facebook parent Meta Platforms has created a tool to predict the structure of hundreds of millions of proteins using artificial intelligence. Researchers say it promises to deepen scientists' understanding of biology, and perhaps speed the discovery of new drugs.

Meanwhile, a drug used to extend the lives of people with advanced prostate cancer is in short supply and will be for months, leaving some patients with no treatment option as the manufacturer works to ramp up production. The Food and Drug Administration said last week the availability of Pluvicto is limited as manufacturer Novartis struggles to meet demand. The drugmaker said the shortage stems from manufacturing and delivery issues.

Write to Amy Pessetto at amy.pessetto@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

03-16-23 1727ET

- **Quality control problems**: The FDA cited quality issues as one factor contributing to US drug shortages.

Title:

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.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

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

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.

Title:

Content: Low on supply – treating schizophrenia

Injecting medicine Credit: RF._.Studio, Pexels

In 2021, 50,400 people in the Netherlands were registered with schizophrenia. Today, all of the schizophrenia patients in the country are suffering from a low supply of the much-needed medication, Zypadhera.

Psychiatrists in the country are now advised against starting new treatments with Zypadhera. This drug produces Olanzapine, a substance which inhibits delusions and hallucinations for people who suffer from psychosis and is usually used from a period of six months to several years, given by injections.

The substance is still available for existing users but in smaller doses, as the medication agency cites “problems with production and distribution at the manufacturer.”

Due to the medication shortage, schizophrenia patients will now have to receive a dose of 300 milligrams once every three weeks, instead of a 405 milligrams every four weeks, as stated in the temporary treatment advice from the National Medicines Coordination Centre.

The centre had previously spoken of a “structural availability problem” of the drug.

With these shortages in consideration, new patients will have to omit using Zypadhera altogether, despite its effectiveness and opt for alternative medical treatment.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

- **Production delays**: Manufacturers experienced delays in producing medications and receiving raw materials.

Title:

Content: There are problems, but there will be no shortage: pharmacies explained why there are not always the necessary drugs on sale
The ongoing war, unjustified growth in demand and problems with production lead to a short-term absence of certain drugs in pharmacies.
Martial law imposes additional difficulties on the import of medicines, but Ukrainian pharmaceutical companies have practically solved this problem: they produce 61% of medicines from the National List of Medicines.
About this Delo.ua told pharmacists and manufacturers.
In the pharmacy holding ANC explain that they fix several main reasons why some positions may disappear in the network:
1.
Due to the martial law in the country, the supply of goods from abroad is irregular, because not every carrier is ready to transport the goods to a country where hostilities continue;
2.
In such cases, insurance companies do not cover the transportation of goods due to high risks;
3.
Completion of the registration period of the goods;
4.
The company producing the goods decided to leave the Ukrainian market.
While data on foreign trade are available only in the context of 4 digits of the code UKTVED, more detailed statistics are not published in the conditions of martial law.
But these data also indicate a reduction in the supply of drugs from abroad, which was confirmed in Goslikluzhba.
Pharmacists note that they do not affect suppliers or the supply of goods.
If the drug is absent from the main distributors, the pharmacist can only recommend analogues to the client in the positions that he can offer.
“At the same time, unfortunately, there is no alternative for unique imported drugs.
Probably, if the state provided manufacturers and suppliers with additional guarantees, this could change the situation, ” adds Maria Semenova.
At the same time, as noted in the pharmaceutical company "Darnitsa", with temporary problems with the presence of a foreign medicine, Ukrainian manufacturers can offer generics of similar quality.
Pharmacists agree that manufacturers are successfully closing the gap in the market, but note that they do not produce innovative new drugs of the latest generations and original drugs, as well as drugs necessary for the treatment of rare diseases.
At the same time, the reduction of imports of medicines to Ukraine has a positive effect - it contributes to the growth of the production of domestic medicines.
Because, as noted in "Darnitsa", an increase in the production of domestic drugs leads to GDP growth, the number of jobs and tax revenues to the country's budget.

Title:

Content: Drug supply problems have worsened in Estonia
This year, pharmacies in Estonia faced a much larger shortage of drugs than a year earlier.
Problems with supplies are caused by both increased demand and shortage of raw materials, reports rus.err with reference to "Actual chamber".
This spring, parents faced a shortage of antibiotics and antipyretic drugs suitable for children, and in the fall, the Sorbister drug for renal patients had to be issued from the state reserve stock, since it was not enough due to supply problems in pharmacies.
Hospitals are also facing a severe shortage of medicines this year.
“For example, hospitals use very important drugs to treat the consequences of heart attacks and strokes, the supply problems of which have been observed for a year, but thanks to good cooperation, we were able to ensure that no one was left without treatment, ” said Marco Tiisler, head of the Import and Export Supervision Department of the Drug Department.
In 2021, there was a shortage of 183 drugs in pharmacies, last year - 359, as of the end of this year - 450 drugs, and in the case of 130 drugs, the cause of the deficiency is unknown.
The second significant reason was a sudden surge in demand, for example, for the drug Ozempic, which is popular among those who lose weight, but drugs can be in short supply due to problems with production.
- Producers lack the active ingredient.
The active substances come from third countries, they are not always available, this was stated by one of the largest European manufacturers of antibiotics, - said Tiisler.
Drug supply problems put not only patients in a difficult position, but also doctors who have to quickly find replacements, sometimes in conditions of scarce information about alternatives.
If earlier, in the case of a shortage of drugs, the patient had to pay the full cost of the drug prescribed as a substitute, recently the Health Insurance Fund, as an exception, decided to extend the discount to some alternatives.
According to Lee Rootslane, head of the Union of Pharmacies, problems with the supply of medicines are a growing problem throughout Europe.
- This year, in cooperation with the Drug Department and family doctors, we made recommendations so that if a problem arises, we do not solve it after the fact, but try to provide some solutions and avoid panic.
In the case of children ’ s syrups, people read about the shortage of syrup, went to the pharmacy and took two syrups instead of the usual one, ” Rootslane said.
The drug department recommends having a weekly supply of non-prescription drugs and a monthly supply of prescription drugs at home.
Comments
Back to top

Title:

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.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

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

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.

- **Drug discontinuations**: Companies discontinuing older, less profitable drugs in favor of newer, more profitable alternatives.

### Demand Spikes
- **COVID-19 effects**: Weakened natural immunity due to pandemic protective measures led to increased spread of respiratory illnesses, driving up demand for related medications.

Title:

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

Title:

Content: Drug supply problems have worsened in Estonia
This year, pharmacies in Estonia faced a much larger shortage of drugs than a year earlier.
Problems with supplies are caused by both increased demand and shortage of raw materials, reports rus.err with reference to "Actual chamber".
This spring, parents faced a shortage of antibiotics and antipyretic drugs suitable for children, and in the fall, the Sorbister drug for renal patients had to be issued from the state reserve stock, since it was not enough due to supply problems in pharmacies.
Hospitals are also facing a severe shortage of medicines this year.
“For example, hospitals use very important drugs to treat the consequences of heart attacks and strokes, the supply problems of which have been observed for a year, but thanks to good cooperation, we were able to ensure that no one was left without treatment, ” said Marco Tiisler, head of the Import and Export Supervision Department of the Drug Department.
In 2021, there was a shortage of 183 drugs in pharmacies, last year - 359, as of the end of this year - 450 drugs, and in the case of 130 drugs, the cause of the deficiency is unknown.
The second significant reason was a sudden surge in demand, for example, for the drug Ozempic, which is popular among those who lose weight, but drugs can be in short supply due to problems with production.
- Producers lack the active ingredient.
The active substances come from third countries, they are not always available, this was stated by one of the largest European manufacturers of antibiotics, - said Tiisler.
Drug supply problems put not only patients in a difficult position, but also doctors who have to quickly find replacements, sometimes in conditions of scarce information about alternatives.
If earlier, in the case of a shortage of drugs, the patient had to pay the full cost of the drug prescribed as a substitute, recently the Health Insurance Fund, as an exception, decided to extend the discount to some alternatives.
According to Lee Rootslane, head of the Union of Pharmacies, problems with the supply of medicines are a growing problem throughout Europe.
- This year, in cooperation with the Drug Department and family doctors, we made recommendations so that if a problem arises, we do not solve it after the fact, but try to provide some solutions and avoid panic.
In the case of children ’ s syrups, people read about the shortage of syrup, went to the pharmacy and took two syrups instead of the usual one, ” Rootslane said.
The drug department recommends having a weekly supply of non-prescription drugs and a monthly supply of prescription drugs at home.
Comments
Back to top

- **Off-label use**: Medications like Ozempic faced unexpected demand for uses not originally intended (weight loss).

Title:

Content: Drug supply problems have worsened in Estonia
This year, pharmacies in Estonia faced a much larger shortage of drugs than a year earlier.
Problems with supplies are caused by both increased demand and shortage of raw materials, reports rus.err with reference to "Actual chamber".
This spring, parents faced a shortage of antibiotics and antipyretic drugs suitable for children, and in the fall, the Sorbister drug for renal patients had to be issued from the state reserve stock, since it was not enough due to supply problems in pharmacies.
Hospitals are also facing a severe shortage of medicines this year.
“For example, hospitals use very important drugs to treat the consequences of heart attacks and strokes, the supply problems of which have been observed for a year, but thanks to good cooperation, we were able to ensure that no one was left without treatment, ” said Marco Tiisler, head of the Import and Export Supervision Department of the Drug Department.
In 2021, there was a shortage of 183 drugs in pharmacies, last year - 359, as of the end of this year - 450 drugs, and in the case of 130 drugs, the cause of the deficiency is unknown.
The second significant reason was a sudden surge in demand, for example, for the drug Ozempic, which is popular among those who lose weight, but drugs can be in short supply due to problems with production.
- Producers lack the active ingredient.
The active substances come from third countries, they are not always available, this was stated by one of the largest European manufacturers of antibiotics, - said Tiisler.
Drug supply problems put not only patients in a difficult position, but also doctors who have to quickly find replacements, sometimes in conditions of scarce information about alternatives.
If earlier, in the case of a shortage of drugs, the patient had to pay the full cost of the drug prescribed as a substitute, recently the Health Insurance Fund, as an exception, decided to extend the discount to some alternatives.
According to Lee Rootslane, head of the Union of Pharmacies, problems with the supply of medicines are a growing problem throughout Europe.
- This year, in cooperation with the Drug Department and family doctors, we made recommendations so that if a problem arises, we do not solve it after the fact, but try to provide some solutions and avoid panic.
In the case of children ’ s syrups, people read about the shortage of syrup, went to the pharmacy and took two syrups instead of the usual one, ” Rootslane said.
The drug department recommends having a weekly supply of non-prescription drugs and a monthly supply of prescription drugs at home.
Comments
Back to top

- **Infection surges**: China's COVID-19 infection wave created unprecedented demand for antiviral medications.

Title:

Content: The number of people infected by the epidemic in China has soared, but "one medicine is hard to find", and people have turned to the black market for drugs
Subscriber
Font Size:
With a surge in coronary infections across China, antiviral drugs such as Paxlovid produced by Pfizer are out of stock, forcing people to turn to the black market for drugs.
According to Bloomberg, the coronavirus epidemic in China is severe, the demand for antiviral drugs has soared, and it is difficult to find one medicine in pharmacies and hospitals everywhere.
People have sought online sales channels to buy drugs, including generic drugs manufactured elsewhere but not approved for sale in China.
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- **Unfounded demand growth**: Ukraine reported "unfounded growth in demand" for certain medications.

Title:

Content: There are problems, but there will be no shortage: pharmacies explained why there are not always the necessary drugs on sale
The ongoing war, unjustified growth in demand and problems with production lead to a short-term absence of certain drugs in pharmacies.
Martial law imposes additional difficulties on the import of medicines, but Ukrainian pharmaceutical companies have practically solved this problem: they produce 61% of medicines from the National List of Medicines.
About this Delo.ua told pharmacists and manufacturers.
In the pharmacy holding ANC explain that they fix several main reasons why some positions may disappear in the network:
1.
Due to the martial law in the country, the supply of goods from abroad is irregular, because not every carrier is ready to transport the goods to a country where hostilities continue;
2.
In such cases, insurance companies do not cover the transportation of goods due to high risks;
3.
Completion of the registration period of the goods;
4.
The company producing the goods decided to leave the Ukrainian market.
While data on foreign trade are available only in the context of 4 digits of the code UKTVED, more detailed statistics are not published in the conditions of martial law.
But these data also indicate a reduction in the supply of drugs from abroad, which was confirmed in Goslikluzhba.
Pharmacists note that they do not affect suppliers or the supply of goods.
If the drug is absent from the main distributors, the pharmacist can only recommend analogues to the client in the positions that he can offer.
“At the same time, unfortunately, there is no alternative for unique imported drugs.
Probably, if the state provided manufacturers and suppliers with additional guarantees, this could change the situation, ” adds Maria Semenova.
At the same time, as noted in the pharmaceutical company "Darnitsa", with temporary problems with the presence of a foreign medicine, Ukrainian manufacturers can offer generics of similar quality.
Pharmacists agree that manufacturers are successfully closing the gap in the market, but note that they do not produce innovative new drugs of the latest generations and original drugs, as well as drugs necessary for the treatment of rare diseases.
At the same time, the reduction of imports of medicines to Ukraine has a positive effect - it contributes to the growth of the production of domestic medicines.
Because, as noted in "Darnitsa", an increase in the production of domestic drugs leads to GDP growth, the number of jobs and tax revenues to the country's budget.

## Impact on Ordinary Patients

### Treatment Disruptions
- Cancer patients faced particularly severe impacts, with doctors having to tell patients, "I have a treatment for you.

I don't know if you'll get it.

I don't know when you'll get it.

I don't know what dose I can give you.

"
- Some cancer patients had to completely change treatment plans, such as undergoing surgery before chemotherapy instead of the standard reverse order.

- Parents in Estonia struggled to find essential antibiotics and fever reducers for their children.

Title:

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

Title:

Content: Drug supply problems have worsened in Estonia
This year, pharmacies in Estonia faced a much larger shortage of drugs than a year earlier.
Problems with supplies are caused by both increased demand and shortage of raw materials, reports rus.err with reference to "Actual chamber".
This spring, parents faced a shortage of antibiotics and antipyretic drugs suitable for children, and in the fall, the Sorbister drug for renal patients had to be issued from the state reserve stock, since it was not enough due to supply problems in pharmacies.
Hospitals are also facing a severe shortage of medicines this year.
“For example, hospitals use very important drugs to treat the consequences of heart attacks and strokes, the supply problems of which have been observed for a year, but thanks to good cooperation, we were able to ensure that no one was left without treatment, ” said Marco Tiisler, head of the Import and Export Supervision Department of the Drug Department.
In 2021, there was a shortage of 183 drugs in pharmacies, last year - 359, as of the end of this year - 450 drugs, and in the case of 130 drugs, the cause of the deficiency is unknown.
The second significant reason was a sudden surge in demand, for example, for the drug Ozempic, which is popular among those who lose weight, but drugs can be in short supply due to problems with production.
- Producers lack the active ingredient.
The active substances come from third countries, they are not always available, this was stated by one of the largest European manufacturers of antibiotics, - said Tiisler.
Drug supply problems put not only patients in a difficult position, but also doctors who have to quickly find replacements, sometimes in conditions of scarce information about alternatives.
If earlier, in the case of a shortage of drugs, the patient had to pay the full cost of the drug prescribed as a substitute, recently the Health Insurance Fund, as an exception, decided to extend the discount to some alternatives.
According to Lee Rootslane, head of the Union of Pharmacies, problems with the supply of medicines are a growing problem throughout Europe.
- This year, in cooperation with the Drug Department and family doctors, we made recommendations so that if a problem arises, we do not solve it after the fact, but try to provide some solutions and avoid panic.
In the case of children ’ s syrups, people read about the shortage of syrup, went to the pharmacy and took two syrups instead of the usual one, ” Rootslane said.
The drug department recommends having a weekly supply of non-prescription drugs and a monthly supply of prescription drugs at home.
Comments
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Title:

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.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

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

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.

- Kidney patients in Estonia relied on state reserves to access Sorbister.

Title:

Content: Drug supply problems have worsened in Estonia
This year, pharmacies in Estonia faced a much larger shortage of drugs than a year earlier.
Problems with supplies are caused by both increased demand and shortage of raw materials, reports rus.err with reference to "Actual chamber".
This spring, parents faced a shortage of antibiotics and antipyretic drugs suitable for children, and in the fall, the Sorbister drug for renal patients had to be issued from the state reserve stock, since it was not enough due to supply problems in pharmacies.
Hospitals are also facing a severe shortage of medicines this year.
“For example, hospitals use very important drugs to treat the consequences of heart attacks and strokes, the supply problems of which have been observed for a year, but thanks to good cooperation, we were able to ensure that no one was left without treatment, ” said Marco Tiisler, head of the Import and Export Supervision Department of the Drug Department.
In 2021, there was a shortage of 183 drugs in pharmacies, last year - 359, as of the end of this year - 450 drugs, and in the case of 130 drugs, the cause of the deficiency is unknown.
The second significant reason was a sudden surge in demand, for example, for the drug Ozempic, which is popular among those who lose weight, but drugs can be in short supply due to problems with production.
- Producers lack the active ingredient.
The active substances come from third countries, they are not always available, this was stated by one of the largest European manufacturers of antibiotics, - said Tiisler.
Drug supply problems put not only patients in a difficult position, but also doctors who have to quickly find replacements, sometimes in conditions of scarce information about alternatives.
If earlier, in the case of a shortage of drugs, the patient had to pay the full cost of the drug prescribed as a substitute, recently the Health Insurance Fund, as an exception, decided to extend the discount to some alternatives.
According to Lee Rootslane, head of the Union of Pharmacies, problems with the supply of medicines are a growing problem throughout Europe.
- This year, in cooperation with the Drug Department and family doctors, we made recommendations so that if a problem arises, we do not solve it after the fact, but try to provide some solutions and avoid panic.
In the case of children ’ s syrups, people read about the shortage of syrup, went to the pharmacy and took two syrups instead of the usual one, ” Rootslane said.
The drug department recommends having a weekly supply of non-prescription drugs and a monthly supply of prescription drugs at home.
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- Chinese patients with COVID-19 turned to black markets to purchase Paxlovid and unapproved generic alternatives.

Title:

Content: The number of people infected by the epidemic in China has soared, but "one medicine is hard to find", and people have turned to the black market for drugs
Subscriber
Font Size:
With a surge in coronary infections across China, antiviral drugs such as Paxlovid produced by Pfizer are out of stock, forcing people to turn to the black market for drugs.
According to Bloomberg, the coronavirus epidemic in China is severe, the demand for antiviral drugs has soared, and it is difficult to find one medicine in pharmacies and hospitals everywhere.
People have sought online sales channels to buy drugs, including generic drugs manufactured elsewhere but not approved for sale in China.
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### Financial Implications
- Patients previously had to pay full cost for alternative medications when their prescribed drugs were unavailable.

Title:

Content: Drug supply problems have worsened in Estonia
This year, pharmacies in Estonia faced a much larger shortage of drugs than a year earlier.
Problems with supplies are caused by both increased demand and shortage of raw materials, reports rus.err with reference to "Actual chamber".
This spring, parents faced a shortage of antibiotics and antipyretic drugs suitable for children, and in the fall, the Sorbister drug for renal patients had to be issued from the state reserve stock, since it was not enough due to supply problems in pharmacies.
Hospitals are also facing a severe shortage of medicines this year.
“For example, hospitals use very important drugs to treat the consequences of heart attacks and strokes, the supply problems of which have been observed for a year, but thanks to good cooperation, we were able to ensure that no one was left without treatment, ” said Marco Tiisler, head of the Import and Export Supervision Department of the Drug Department.
In 2021, there was a shortage of 183 drugs in pharmacies, last year - 359, as of the end of this year - 450 drugs, and in the case of 130 drugs, the cause of the deficiency is unknown.
The second significant reason was a sudden surge in demand, for example, for the drug Ozempic, which is popular among those who lose weight, but drugs can be in short supply due to problems with production.
- Producers lack the active ingredient.
The active substances come from third countries, they are not always available, this was stated by one of the largest European manufacturers of antibiotics, - said Tiisler.
Drug supply problems put not only patients in a difficult position, but also doctors who have to quickly find replacements, sometimes in conditions of scarce information about alternatives.
If earlier, in the case of a shortage of drugs, the patient had to pay the full cost of the drug prescribed as a substitute, recently the Health Insurance Fund, as an exception, decided to extend the discount to some alternatives.
According to Lee Rootslane, head of the Union of Pharmacies, problems with the supply of medicines are a growing problem throughout Europe.
- This year, in cooperation with the Drug Department and family doctors, we made recommendations so that if a problem arises, we do not solve it after the fact, but try to provide some solutions and avoid panic.
In the case of children ’ s syrups, people read about the shortage of syrup, went to the pharmacy and took two syrups instead of the usual one, ” Rootslane said.
The drug department recommends having a weekly supply of non-prescription drugs and a monthly supply of prescription drugs at home.
Comments
Back to top

Title:

Content: Low on supply – treating schizophrenia

Injecting medicine Credit: RF._.Studio, Pexels

In 2021, 50,400 people in the Netherlands were registered with schizophrenia. Today, all of the schizophrenia patients in the country are suffering from a low supply of the much-needed medication, Zypadhera.

Psychiatrists in the country are now advised against starting new treatments with Zypadhera. This drug produces Olanzapine, a substance which inhibits delusions and hallucinations for people who suffer from psychosis and is usually used from a period of six months to several years, given by injections.

The substance is still available for existing users but in smaller doses, as the medication agency cites “problems with production and distribution at the manufacturer.”

Due to the medication shortage, schizophrenia patients will now have to receive a dose of 300 milligrams once every three weeks, instead of a 405 milligrams every four weeks, as stated in the temporary treatment advice from the National Medicines Coordination Centre.

The centre had previously spoken of a “structural availability problem” of the drug.

With these shortages in consideration, new patients will have to omit using Zypadhera altogether, despite its effectiveness and opt for alternative medical treatment.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

- Some health systems responded by extending discounts to alternative medications as an exception.

Title:

Content: Drug supply problems have worsened in Estonia
This year, pharmacies in Estonia faced a much larger shortage of drugs than a year earlier.
Problems with supplies are caused by both increased demand and shortage of raw materials, reports rus.err with reference to "Actual chamber".
This spring, parents faced a shortage of antibiotics and antipyretic drugs suitable for children, and in the fall, the Sorbister drug for renal patients had to be issued from the state reserve stock, since it was not enough due to supply problems in pharmacies.
Hospitals are also facing a severe shortage of medicines this year.
“For example, hospitals use very important drugs to treat the consequences of heart attacks and strokes, the supply problems of which have been observed for a year, but thanks to good cooperation, we were able to ensure that no one was left without treatment, ” said Marco Tiisler, head of the Import and Export Supervision Department of the Drug Department.
In 2021, there was a shortage of 183 drugs in pharmacies, last year - 359, as of the end of this year - 450 drugs, and in the case of 130 drugs, the cause of the deficiency is unknown.
The second significant reason was a sudden surge in demand, for example, for the drug Ozempic, which is popular among those who lose weight, but drugs can be in short supply due to problems with production.
- Producers lack the active ingredient.
The active substances come from third countries, they are not always available, this was stated by one of the largest European manufacturers of antibiotics, - said Tiisler.
Drug supply problems put not only patients in a difficult position, but also doctors who have to quickly find replacements, sometimes in conditions of scarce information about alternatives.
If earlier, in the case of a shortage of drugs, the patient had to pay the full cost of the drug prescribed as a substitute, recently the Health Insurance Fund, as an exception, decided to extend the discount to some alternatives.
According to Lee Rootslane, head of the Union of Pharmacies, problems with the supply of medicines are a growing problem throughout Europe.
- This year, in cooperation with the Drug Department and family doctors, we made recommendations so that if a problem arises, we do not solve it after the fact, but try to provide some solutions and avoid panic.
In the case of children ’ s syrups, people read about the shortage of syrup, went to the pharmacy and took two syrups instead of the usual one, ” Rootslane said.
The drug department recommends having a weekly supply of non-prescription drugs and a monthly supply of prescription drugs at home.
Comments
Back to top

## Healthcare System Responses

### Government and Policy Responses
- **EU countries**: Implemented national-level measures to overcome shortages, though coordination challenges remained.

Title:

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

Title:

Content: Local healthcare facilities see rise in wait times as 'tripledemic' continues to rage

Healthcare experts are anticipating an increase in cases of COVID and seasonal illnesses associated with the so-called ‘tripledemic’ as the holiday season brings family and friends together.

Dr. Heather Osher, Medical Director of Patient First, says her facility is seeing increased wait times as more fall ill. To avoid overcrowding, Osher says it's important to keep tabs on their website.

"I tell people, as far as Patient First, you can always go on the website and see if the center is busy right now," Osher said.

People who fall ill should try to avoid large crowds to prevent spreading their sickness. As such, Dr. Osher suggests taking advantage of telehealth to talk to a healthcare provider about treatments.

"They’ll go on here real time with the camera and the computer, talk to them and diagnose, and we can do it all the computer electronically," Osher said.

While the passing of illness remains prevalent this winter, pharmacies are facing a shortage of over-the-counter and prescription medications to help alleviate patient's symptoms.

"It’s been a nightmare for the last few months getting in all children’s products," said Kourtney Chichilitti, a Pharmacist at Parkway Pharmacy.

On Tuesday night Parkway Pharmacy had only about 100 bottles of Children’s Motrin for families in need.

Title:

Content: Low on supply – treating schizophrenia

Injecting medicine Credit: RF._.Studio, Pexels

In 2021, 50,400 people in the Netherlands were registered with schizophrenia. Today, all of the schizophrenia patients in the country are suffering from a low supply of the much-needed medication, Zypadhera.

Psychiatrists in the country are now advised against starting new treatments with Zypadhera. This drug produces Olanzapine, a substance which inhibits delusions and hallucinations for people who suffer from psychosis and is usually used from a period of six months to several years, given by injections.

The substance is still available for existing users but in smaller doses, as the medication agency cites “problems with production and distribution at the manufacturer.”

Due to the medication shortage, schizophrenia patients will now have to receive a dose of 300 milligrams once every three weeks, instead of a 405 milligrams every four weeks, as stated in the temporary treatment advice from the National Medicines Coordination Centre.

The centre had previously spoken of a “structural availability problem” of the drug.

With these shortages in consideration, new patients will have to omit using Zypadhera altogether, despite its effectiveness and opt for alternative medical treatment.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

- **Estonia**: Released medications from state reserves and fostered cooperation among healthcare providers to prevent patient harm from shortages of heart attack and stroke medications.

Title:

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

Title:

Content: Drug supply problems have worsened in Estonia
This year, pharmacies in Estonia faced a much larger shortage of drugs than a year earlier.
Problems with supplies are caused by both increased demand and shortage of raw materials, reports rus.err with reference to "Actual chamber".
This spring, parents faced a shortage of antibiotics and antipyretic drugs suitable for children, and in the fall, the Sorbister drug for renal patients had to be issued from the state reserve stock, since it was not enough due to supply problems in pharmacies.
Hospitals are also facing a severe shortage of medicines this year.
“For example, hospitals use very important drugs to treat the consequences of heart attacks and strokes, the supply problems of which have been observed for a year, but thanks to good cooperation, we were able to ensure that no one was left without treatment, ” said Marco Tiisler, head of the Import and Export Supervision Department of the Drug Department.
In 2021, there was a shortage of 183 drugs in pharmacies, last year - 359, as of the end of this year - 450 drugs, and in the case of 130 drugs, the cause of the deficiency is unknown.
The second significant reason was a sudden surge in demand, for example, for the drug Ozempic, which is popular among those who lose weight, but drugs can be in short supply due to problems with production.
- Producers lack the active ingredient.
The active substances come from third countries, they are not always available, this was stated by one of the largest European manufacturers of antibiotics, - said Tiisler.
Drug supply problems put not only patients in a difficult position, but also doctors who have to quickly find replacements, sometimes in conditions of scarce information about alternatives.
If earlier, in the case of a shortage of drugs, the patient had to pay the full cost of the drug prescribed as a substitute, recently the Health Insurance Fund, as an exception, decided to extend the discount to some alternatives.
According to Lee Rootslane, head of the Union of Pharmacies, problems with the supply of medicines are a growing problem throughout Europe.
- This year, in cooperation with the Drug Department and family doctors, we made recommendations so that if a problem arises, we do not solve it after the fact, but try to provide some solutions and avoid panic.
In the case of children ’ s syrups, people read about the shortage of syrup, went to the pharmacy and took two syrups instead of the usual one, ” Rootslane said.
The drug department recommends having a weekly supply of non-prescription drugs and a monthly supply of prescription drugs at home.
Comments
Back to top

Title:

Content: Local healthcare facilities see rise in wait times as 'tripledemic' continues to rage

Healthcare experts are anticipating an increase in cases of COVID and seasonal illnesses associated with the so-called ‘tripledemic’ as the holiday season brings family and friends together.

Dr. Heather Osher, Medical Director of Patient First, says her facility is seeing increased wait times as more fall ill. To avoid overcrowding, Osher says it's important to keep tabs on their website.

"I tell people, as far as Patient First, you can always go on the website and see if the center is busy right now," Osher said.

People who fall ill should try to avoid large crowds to prevent spreading their sickness. As such, Dr. Osher suggests taking advantage of telehealth to talk to a healthcare provider about treatments.

"They’ll go on here real time with the camera and the computer, talk to them and diagnose, and we can do it all the computer electronically," Osher said.

While the passing of illness remains prevalent this winter, pharmacies are facing a shortage of over-the-counter and prescription medications to help alleviate patient's symptoms.

"It’s been a nightmare for the last few months getting in all children’s products," said Kourtney Chichilitti, a Pharmacist at Parkway Pharmacy.

On Tuesday night Parkway Pharmacy had only about 100 bottles of Children’s Motrin for families in need.

- **Arab countries**: Re-launched tender processes previously deemed ineffective and signed new contracts to acquire essential medicines and supplies.

- **Ukraine**: Increased domestic production to 61% of essential medicines on the National List, reducing import dependency.

Title:

Content: There are problems, but there will be no shortage: pharmacies explained why there are not always the necessary drugs on sale
The ongoing war, unjustified growth in demand and problems with production lead to a short-term absence of certain drugs in pharmacies.
Martial law imposes additional difficulties on the import of medicines, but Ukrainian pharmaceutical companies have practically solved this problem: they produce 61% of medicines from the National List of Medicines.
About this Delo.ua told pharmacists and manufacturers.
In the pharmacy holding ANC explain that they fix several main reasons why some positions may disappear in the network:
1.
Due to the martial law in the country, the supply of goods from abroad is irregular, because not every carrier is ready to transport the goods to a country where hostilities continue;
2.
In such cases, insurance companies do not cover the transportation of goods due to high risks;
3.
Completion of the registration period of the goods;
4.
The company producing the goods decided to leave the Ukrainian market.
While data on foreign trade are available only in the context of 4 digits of the code UKTVED, more detailed statistics are not published in the conditions of martial law.
But these data also indicate a reduction in the supply of drugs from abroad, which was confirmed in Goslikluzhba.
Pharmacists note that they do not affect suppliers or the supply of goods.
If the drug is absent from the main distributors, the pharmacist can only recommend analogues to the client in the positions that he can offer.
“At the same time, unfortunately, there is no alternative for unique imported drugs.
Probably, if the state provided manufacturers and suppliers with additional guarantees, this could change the situation, ” adds Maria Semenova.
At the same time, as noted in the pharmaceutical company "Darnitsa", with temporary problems with the presence of a foreign medicine, Ukrainian manufacturers can offer generics of similar quality.
Pharmacists agree that manufacturers are successfully closing the gap in the market, but note that they do not produce innovative new drugs of the latest generations and original drugs, as well as drugs necessary for the treatment of rare diseases.
At the same time, the reduction of imports of medicines to Ukraine has a positive effect - it contributes to the growth of the production of domestic medicines.
Because, as noted in "Darnitsa", an increase in the production of domestic drugs leads to GDP growth, the number of jobs and tax revenues to the country's budget.

Title:

Content: Novye Izvestia
1,283 followers
Mikhail Murashko: there are no big threats to the delivery of foreign medicines to Russia
Logistics chains give delays, Murashko told reporters, but today the ministry does not see any failures or big threats.
Back to article
Picture of the day
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### Healthcare Provider Adaptations
- **Treatment modifications**: Cancer centers altered treatment sequences when necessary.

- **Alternative prescribing**: Doctors had to quickly find replacement medications, often with limited information about alternatives.

Title:

Content: Drug supply problems have worsened in Estonia
This year, pharmacies in Estonia faced a much larger shortage of drugs than a year earlier.
Problems with supplies are caused by both increased demand and shortage of raw materials, reports rus.err with reference to "Actual chamber".
This spring, parents faced a shortage of antibiotics and antipyretic drugs suitable for children, and in the fall, the Sorbister drug for renal patients had to be issued from the state reserve stock, since it was not enough due to supply problems in pharmacies.
Hospitals are also facing a severe shortage of medicines this year.
“For example, hospitals use very important drugs to treat the consequences of heart attacks and strokes, the supply problems of which have been observed for a year, but thanks to good cooperation, we were able to ensure that no one was left without treatment, ” said Marco Tiisler, head of the Import and Export Supervision Department of the Drug Department.
In 2021, there was a shortage of 183 drugs in pharmacies, last year - 359, as of the end of this year - 450 drugs, and in the case of 130 drugs, the cause of the deficiency is unknown.
The second significant reason was a sudden surge in demand, for example, for the drug Ozempic, which is popular among those who lose weight, but drugs can be in short supply due to problems with production.
- Producers lack the active ingredient.
The active substances come from third countries, they are not always available, this was stated by one of the largest European manufacturers of antibiotics, - said Tiisler.
Drug supply problems put not only patients in a difficult position, but also doctors who have to quickly find replacements, sometimes in conditions of scarce information about alternatives.
If earlier, in the case of a shortage of drugs, the patient had to pay the full cost of the drug prescribed as a substitute, recently the Health Insurance Fund, as an exception, decided to extend the discount to some alternatives.
According to Lee Rootslane, head of the Union of Pharmacies, problems with the supply of medicines are a growing problem throughout Europe.
- This year, in cooperation with the Drug Department and family doctors, we made recommendations so that if a problem arises, we do not solve it after the fact, but try to provide some solutions and avoid panic.
In the case of children ’ s syrups, people read about the shortage of syrup, went to the pharmacy and took two syrups instead of the usual one, ” Rootslane said.
The drug department recommends having a weekly supply of non-prescription drugs and a monthly supply of prescription drugs at home.
Comments
Back to top

- **Supply chain management**: Some health offices worked to strengthen supply maintenance between deliveries, though this remained challenging.

Title:

Content: DRUG SHORTAGE IN MALAITA

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BY SAMIE WAIKORI

Malaita province is facing a shortage of medicine, a problem which has been ongoing for nearly a month.

Malaria cases are also reportedly increasing in Auki and surrounding communities.

Patients to clinics are being sent home with only paracetamol. Few clinics are down to their last supplies with children’s Coartem tablets (anti-malarial drug) which is being given to adults.

The province’s health authority has confirmed this drug shortage to Island Sun.

Supervising Director Dr David Danitofea admitted to the paper yesterday that the province is indeed facing drug shortage.

He however explains that it is cyclical – there will be a period of drug shortage before their stocks are replenished from Honiara.

Danitofea says there has never been a time where drugs were in full supply when new stocks arrived.

“This is a normal issue as supplies are coming, distributed, run-out and supply continues to come.

“Recently, I was submitted with a list of drugs that the province is without and my office is working on to get supply soon,” he said.

Danitofea adds that this same problem is faced by other provinces as well.

He concurs that ideally health authorities should ensure that there is no period of drug shortage before replenishment of stock.

“Sadly, that is not the reality,” he said.

Danitofea said this is one of the challenges his office is facing especially on how to maintain drug supply, given the delay of supply from Honiara has become the new normal.

“This is an area my office will try to strengthen making sure supplies are maintained until we receive new supplies, though it will be challenging,” he said.

Island Sun Auki has received reports that for nearly a month sick patients especially those diagnosed with malaria were advised to receive home-care or referred either to Kilu’ufi hospital or other clinics with prescriptions.

Share

### International Perspectives
- **Russia**: Reported no major threats to foreign medicine delivery despite logistical chain delays.

Title:

Content: Novye Izvestia
1,283 followers
Mikhail Murashko: there are no big threats to the delivery of foreign medicines to Russia
Logistics chains give delays, Murashko told reporters, but today the ministry does not see any failures or big threats.
Back to article
Picture of the day
top

- **China**: Faced challenges with black market emergence due to severe shortages of antiviral medications.

Title:

Content: The number of people infected by the epidemic in China has soared, but "one medicine is hard to find", and people have turned to the black market for drugs
Subscriber
Font Size:
With a surge in coronary infections across China, antiviral drugs such as Paxlovid produced by Pfizer are out of stock, forcing people to turn to the black market for drugs.
According to Bloomberg, the coronavirus epidemic in China is severe, the demand for antiviral drugs has soared, and it is difficult to find one medicine in pharmacies and hospitals everywhere.
People have sought online sales channels to buy drugs, including generic drugs manufactured elsewhere but not approved for sale in China.
Sign up to continue reading the full article!
LIKE Our official Facebook page for more information

Title:

Content: There are problems, but there will be no shortage: pharmacies explained why there are not always the necessary drugs on sale
The ongoing war, unjustified growth in demand and problems with production lead to a short-term absence of certain drugs in pharmacies.
Martial law imposes additional difficulties on the import of medicines, but Ukrainian pharmaceutical companies have practically solved this problem: they produce 61% of medicines from the National List of Medicines.
About this Delo.ua told pharmacists and manufacturers.
In the pharmacy holding ANC explain that they fix several main reasons why some positions may disappear in the network:
1.
Due to the martial law in the country, the supply of goods from abroad is irregular, because not every carrier is ready to transport the goods to a country where hostilities continue;
2.
In such cases, insurance companies do not cover the transportation of goods due to high risks;
3.
Completion of the registration period of the goods;
4.
The company producing the goods decided to leave the Ukrainian market.
While data on foreign trade are available only in the context of 4 digits of the code UKTVED, more detailed statistics are not published in the conditions of martial law.
But these data also indicate a reduction in the supply of drugs from abroad, which was confirmed in Goslikluzhba.
Pharmacists note that they do not affect suppliers or the supply of goods.
If the drug is absent from the main distributors, the pharmacist can only recommend analogues to the client in the positions that he can offer.
“At the same time, unfortunately, there is no alternative for unique imported drugs.
Probably, if the state provided manufacturers and suppliers with additional guarantees, this could change the situation, ” adds Maria Semenova.
At the same time, as noted in the pharmaceutical company "Darnitsa", with temporary problems with the presence of a foreign medicine, Ukrainian manufacturers can offer generics of similar quality.
Pharmacists agree that manufacturers are successfully closing the gap in the market, but note that they do not produce innovative new drugs of the latest generations and original drugs, as well as drugs necessary for the treatment of rare diseases.
At the same time, the reduction of imports of medicines to Ukraine has a positive effect - it contributes to the growth of the production of domestic medicines.
Because, as noted in "Darnitsa", an increase in the production of domestic drugs leads to GDP growth, the number of jobs and tax revenues to the country's budget.

Title:

Content: Drug supply problems have worsened in Estonia
This year, pharmacies in Estonia faced a much larger shortage of drugs than a year earlier.
Problems with supplies are caused by both increased demand and shortage of raw materials, reports rus.err with reference to "Actual chamber".
This spring, parents faced a shortage of antibiotics and antipyretic drugs suitable for children, and in the fall, the Sorbister drug for renal patients had to be issued from the state reserve stock, since it was not enough due to supply problems in pharmacies.
Hospitals are also facing a severe shortage of medicines this year.
“For example, hospitals use very important drugs to treat the consequences of heart attacks and strokes, the supply problems of which have been observed for a year, but thanks to good cooperation, we were able to ensure that no one was left without treatment, ” said Marco Tiisler, head of the Import and Export Supervision Department of the Drug Department.
In 2021, there was a shortage of 183 drugs in pharmacies, last year - 359, as of the end of this year - 450 drugs, and in the case of 130 drugs, the cause of the deficiency is unknown.
The second significant reason was a sudden surge in demand, for example, for the drug Ozempic, which is popular among those who lose weight, but drugs can be in short supply due to problems with production.
- Producers lack the active ingredient.
The active substances come from third countries, they are not always available, this was stated by one of the largest European manufacturers of antibiotics, - said Tiisler.
Drug supply problems put not only patients in a difficult position, but also doctors who have to quickly find replacements, sometimes in conditions of scarce information about alternatives.
If earlier, in the case of a shortage of drugs, the patient had to pay the full cost of the drug prescribed as a substitute, recently the Health Insurance Fund, as an exception, decided to extend the discount to some alternatives.
According to Lee Rootslane, head of the Union of Pharmacies, problems with the supply of medicines are a growing problem throughout Europe.
- This year, in cooperation with the Drug Department and family doctors, we made recommendations so that if a problem arises, we do not solve it after the fact, but try to provide some solutions and avoid panic.
In the case of children ’ s syrups, people read about the shortage of syrup, went to the pharmacy and took two syrups instead of the usual one, ” Rootslane said.
The drug department recommends having a weekly supply of non-prescription drugs and a monthly supply of prescription drugs at home.
Comments
Back to top

Title:

Content: In Israeli pharmacies shortage of drugs: details
The shortage is due to logistics problems and increased demand.
In health insurance funds and private pharmacies, there is an acute shortage of cold medicines, the demand for which is growing in the winter.
This is reported by Mako.
In many pharmacies, it is impossible to find individual types of "Akamol" (paracetamol).
There was a shortage of medicines for colds, coughs, sore throats.
The shortage is due, among other things, to logistics problems and increased demand.
Pharmacists Association Chairman David Pepo spoke to the deputy director of the Department of Pharmacy at the Ministry of Health last week, and nothing has been done since, he said.
Earlier we told that soon in Israel will launch a pilot project on the operation of autonomous buses, which will result in the country will appear commercial bus routes with cars without drivers.
Now announced four groups of companies that have won the competition of the Ministry of Transport for the implementation of the pilot project.
The cost of the pilot project is 61 million shekels, half of which is provided by the state.
It was organized jointly by the Ministry of Transport, the Public Transport Authority, the Innovation Authority and Netivei Ayalon.
Find out more here.
Cursor also reported that the number of tourists in Israel has been growing since the beginning of the year.
So, since January 2022, 2.2 million tourists have visited the country.
There was also an increase in the number of Israelis who left the country as tourists.
In addition, the Ministry of Health took measures in connection with concerns about the shortage of epidural anesthesia kits.
Read the latest news from Israel and the world on the Kursor channel in Telegram.
Author of the material:
TAGS:

## Conclusions and Recommendations
The global medication shortages between 2021-2024 demonstrate the fragility of pharmaceutical supply chains and the significant impacts on patient care.

Title:

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

Title:

Content: The number of people infected by the epidemic in China has soared, but "one medicine is hard to find", and people have turned to the black market for drugs
Subscriber
Font Size:
With a surge in coronary infections across China, antiviral drugs such as Paxlovid produced by Pfizer are out of stock, forcing people to turn to the black market for drugs.
According to Bloomberg, the coronavirus epidemic in China is severe, the demand for antiviral drugs has soared, and it is difficult to find one medicine in pharmacies and hospitals everywhere.
People have sought online sales channels to buy drugs, including generic drugs manufactured elsewhere but not approved for sale in China.
Sign up to continue reading the full article!
LIKE Our official Facebook page for more information

Title:

Content: There are problems, but there will be no shortage: pharmacies explained why there are not always the necessary drugs on sale
The ongoing war, unjustified growth in demand and problems with production lead to a short-term absence of certain drugs in pharmacies.
Martial law imposes additional difficulties on the import of medicines, but Ukrainian pharmaceutical companies have practically solved this problem: they produce 61% of medicines from the National List of Medicines.
About this Delo.ua told pharmacists and manufacturers.
In the pharmacy holding ANC explain that they fix several main reasons why some positions may disappear in the network:
1.
Due to the martial law in the country, the supply of goods from abroad is irregular, because not every carrier is ready to transport the goods to a country where hostilities continue;
2.
In such cases, insurance companies do not cover the transportation of goods due to high risks;
3.
Completion of the registration period of the goods;
4.
The company producing the goods decided to leave the Ukrainian market.
While data on foreign trade are available only in the context of 4 digits of the code UKTVED, more detailed statistics are not published in the conditions of martial law.
But these data also indicate a reduction in the supply of drugs from abroad, which was confirmed in Goslikluzhba.
Pharmacists note that they do not affect suppliers or the supply of goods.
If the drug is absent from the main distributors, the pharmacist can only recommend analogues to the client in the positions that he can offer.
“At the same time, unfortunately, there is no alternative for unique imported drugs.
Probably, if the state provided manufacturers and suppliers with additional guarantees, this could change the situation, ” adds Maria Semenova.
At the same time, as noted in the pharmaceutical company "Darnitsa", with temporary problems with the presence of a foreign medicine, Ukrainian manufacturers can offer generics of similar quality.
Pharmacists agree that manufacturers are successfully closing the gap in the market, but note that they do not produce innovative new drugs of the latest generations and original drugs, as well as drugs necessary for the treatment of rare diseases.
At the same time, the reduction of imports of medicines to Ukraine has a positive effect - it contributes to the growth of the production of domestic medicines.
Because, as noted in "Darnitsa", an increase in the production of domestic drugs leads to GDP growth, the number of jobs and tax revenues to the country's budget.

Title:

Content: Drug supply problems have worsened in Estonia
This year, pharmacies in Estonia faced a much larger shortage of drugs than a year earlier.
Problems with supplies are caused by both increased demand and shortage of raw materials, reports rus.err with reference to "Actual chamber".
This spring, parents faced a shortage of antibiotics and antipyretic drugs suitable for children, and in the fall, the Sorbister drug for renal patients had to be issued from the state reserve stock, since it was not enough due to supply problems in pharmacies.
Hospitals are also facing a severe shortage of medicines this year.
“For example, hospitals use very important drugs to treat the consequences of heart attacks and strokes, the supply problems of which have been observed for a year, but thanks to good cooperation, we were able to ensure that no one was left without treatment, ” said Marco Tiisler, head of the Import and Export Supervision Department of the Drug Department.
In 2021, there was a shortage of 183 drugs in pharmacies, last year - 359, as of the end of this year - 450 drugs, and in the case of 130 drugs, the cause of the deficiency is unknown.
The second significant reason was a sudden surge in demand, for example, for the drug Ozempic, which is popular among those who lose weight, but drugs can be in short supply due to problems with production.
- Producers lack the active ingredient.
The active substances come from third countries, they are not always available, this was stated by one of the largest European manufacturers of antibiotics, - said Tiisler.
Drug supply problems put not only patients in a difficult position, but also doctors who have to quickly find replacements, sometimes in conditions of scarce information about alternatives.
If earlier, in the case of a shortage of drugs, the patient had to pay the full cost of the drug prescribed as a substitute, recently the Health Insurance Fund, as an exception, decided to extend the discount to some alternatives.
According to Lee Rootslane, head of the Union of Pharmacies, problems with the supply of medicines are a growing problem throughout Europe.
- This year, in cooperation with the Drug Department and family doctors, we made recommendations so that if a problem arises, we do not solve it after the fact, but try to provide some solutions and avoid panic.
In the case of children ’ s syrups, people read about the shortage of syrup, went to the pharmacy and took two syrups instead of the usual one, ” Rootslane said.
The drug department recommends having a weekly supply of non-prescription drugs and a monthly supply of prescription drugs at home.
Comments
Back to top

Title:

Content: Local healthcare facilities see rise in wait times as 'tripledemic' continues to rage

Healthcare experts are anticipating an increase in cases of COVID and seasonal illnesses associated with the so-called ‘tripledemic’ as the holiday season brings family and friends together.

Dr. Heather Osher, Medical Director of Patient First, says her facility is seeing increased wait times as more fall ill. To avoid overcrowding, Osher says it's important to keep tabs on their website.

"I tell people, as far as Patient First, you can always go on the website and see if the center is busy right now," Osher said.

People who fall ill should try to avoid large crowds to prevent spreading their sickness. As such, Dr. Osher suggests taking advantage of telehealth to talk to a healthcare provider about treatments.

"They’ll go on here real time with the camera and the computer, talk to them and diagnose, and we can do it all the computer electronically," Osher said.

While the passing of illness remains prevalent this winter, pharmacies are facing a shortage of over-the-counter and prescription medications to help alleviate patient's symptoms.

"It’s been a nightmare for the last few months getting in all children’s products," said Kourtney Chichilitti, a Pharmacist at Parkway Pharmacy.

On Tuesday night Parkway Pharmacy had only about 100 bottles of Children’s Motrin for families in need.

Title:

Content: Healthcare companies moved higher as tech companies continue to enter the space.

Facebook parent Meta Platforms has created a tool to predict the structure of hundreds of millions of proteins using artificial intelligence. Researchers say it promises to deepen scientists' understanding of biology, and perhaps speed the discovery of new drugs.

Meanwhile, a drug used to extend the lives of people with advanced prostate cancer is in short supply and will be for months, leaving some patients with no treatment option as the manufacturer works to ramp up production. The Food and Drug Administration said last week the availability of Pluvicto is limited as manufacturer Novartis struggles to meet demand. The drugmaker said the shortage stems from manufacturing and delivery issues.

Write to Amy Pessetto at amy.pessetto@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

03-16-23 1727ET

Title:

Content: In Israeli pharmacies shortage of drugs: details
The shortage is due to logistics problems and increased demand.
In health insurance funds and private pharmacies, there is an acute shortage of cold medicines, the demand for which is growing in the winter.
This is reported by Mako.
In many pharmacies, it is impossible to find individual types of "Akamol" (paracetamol).
There was a shortage of medicines for colds, coughs, sore throats.
The shortage is due, among other things, to logistics problems and increased demand.
Pharmacists Association Chairman David Pepo spoke to the deputy director of the Department of Pharmacy at the Ministry of Health last week, and nothing has been done since, he said.
Earlier we told that soon in Israel will launch a pilot project on the operation of autonomous buses, which will result in the country will appear commercial bus routes with cars without drivers.
Now announced four groups of companies that have won the competition of the Ministry of Transport for the implementation of the pilot project.
The cost of the pilot project is 61 million shekels, half of which is provided by the state.
It was organized jointly by the Ministry of Transport, the Public Transport Authority, the Innovation Authority and Netivei Ayalon.
Find out more here.
Cursor also reported that the number of tourists in Israel has been growing since the beginning of the year.
So, since January 2022, 2.2 million tourists have visited the country.
There was also an increase in the number of Israelis who left the country as tourists.
In addition, the Ministry of Health took measures in connection with concerns about the shortage of epidural anesthesia kits.
Read the latest news from Israel and the world on the Kursor channel in Telegram.
Author of the material:
TAGS:

Title:

Content: Novye Izvestia
1,283 followers
Mikhail Murashko: there are no big threats to the delivery of foreign medicines to Russia
Logistics chains give delays, Murashko told reporters, but today the ministry does not see any failures or big threats.
Back to article
Picture of the day
top

Title:

Content: DRUG SHORTAGE IN MALAITA

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BY SAMIE WAIKORI

Malaita province is facing a shortage of medicine, a problem which has been ongoing for nearly a month.

Malaria cases are also reportedly increasing in Auki and surrounding communities.

Patients to clinics are being sent home with only paracetamol. Few clinics are down to their last supplies with children’s Coartem tablets (anti-malarial drug) which is being given to adults.

The province’s health authority has confirmed this drug shortage to Island Sun.

Supervising Director Dr David Danitofea admitted to the paper yesterday that the province is indeed facing drug shortage.

He however explains that it is cyclical – there will be a period of drug shortage before their stocks are replenished from Honiara.

Danitofea says there has never been a time where drugs were in full supply when new stocks arrived.

“This is a normal issue as supplies are coming, distributed, run-out and supply continues to come.

“Recently, I was submitted with a list of drugs that the province is without and my office is working on to get supply soon,” he said.

Danitofea adds that this same problem is faced by other provinces as well.

He concurs that ideally health authorities should ensure that there is no period of drug shortage before replenishment of stock.

“Sadly, that is not the reality,” he said.

Danitofea said this is one of the challenges his office is facing especially on how to maintain drug supply, given the delay of supply from Honiara has become the new normal.

“This is an area my office will try to strengthen making sure supplies are maintained until we receive new supplies, though it will be challenging,” he said.

Island Sun Auki has received reports that for nearly a month sick patients especially those diagnosed with malaria were advised to receive home-care or referred either to Kilu’ufi hospital or other clinics with prescriptions.

Share

Title:

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.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

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

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.

Title:

Content: Low on supply – treating schizophrenia

Injecting medicine Credit: RF._.Studio, Pexels

In 2021, 50,400 people in the Netherlands were registered with schizophrenia. Today, all of the schizophrenia patients in the country are suffering from a low supply of the much-needed medication, Zypadhera.

Psychiatrists in the country are now advised against starting new treatments with Zypadhera. This drug produces Olanzapine, a substance which inhibits delusions and hallucinations for people who suffer from psychosis and is usually used from a period of six months to several years, given by injections.

The substance is still available for existing users but in smaller doses, as the medication agency cites “problems with production and distribution at the manufacturer.”

Due to the medication shortage, schizophrenia patients will now have to receive a dose of 300 milligrams once every three weeks, instead of a 405 milligrams every four weeks, as stated in the temporary treatment advice from the National Medicines Coordination Centre.

The centre had previously spoken of a “structural availability problem” of the drug.

With these shortages in consideration, new patients will have to omit using Zypadhera altogether, despite its effectiveness and opt for alternative medical treatment.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

The cases reveal that short-term solutions often lead to cascading shortages of other medications.

Title:

Content: There are problems, but there will be no shortage: pharmacies explained why there are not always the necessary drugs on sale
The ongoing war, unjustified growth in demand and problems with production lead to a short-term absence of certain drugs in pharmacies.
Martial law imposes additional difficulties on the import of medicines, but Ukrainian pharmaceutical companies have practically solved this problem: they produce 61% of medicines from the National List of Medicines.
About this Delo.ua told pharmacists and manufacturers.
In the pharmacy holding ANC explain that they fix several main reasons why some positions may disappear in the network:
1.
Due to the martial law in the country, the supply of goods from abroad is irregular, because not every carrier is ready to transport the goods to a country where hostilities continue;
2.
In such cases, insurance companies do not cover the transportation of goods due to high risks;
3.
Completion of the registration period of the goods;
4.
The company producing the goods decided to leave the Ukrainian market.
While data on foreign trade are available only in the context of 4 digits of the code UKTVED, more detailed statistics are not published in the conditions of martial law.
But these data also indicate a reduction in the supply of drugs from abroad, which was confirmed in Goslikluzhba.
Pharmacists note that they do not affect suppliers or the supply of goods.
If the drug is absent from the main distributors, the pharmacist can only recommend analogues to the client in the positions that he can offer.
“At the same time, unfortunately, there is no alternative for unique imported drugs.
Probably, if the state provided manufacturers and suppliers with additional guarantees, this could change the situation, ” adds Maria Semenova.
At the same time, as noted in the pharmaceutical company "Darnitsa", with temporary problems with the presence of a foreign medicine, Ukrainian manufacturers can offer generics of similar quality.
Pharmacists agree that manufacturers are successfully closing the gap in the market, but note that they do not produce innovative new drugs of the latest generations and original drugs, as well as drugs necessary for the treatment of rare diseases.
At the same time, the reduction of imports of medicines to Ukraine has a positive effect - it contributes to the growth of the production of domestic medicines.
Because, as noted in "Darnitsa", an increase in the production of domestic drugs leads to GDP growth, the number of jobs and tax revenues to the country's budget.

Title:

Content: Local healthcare facilities see rise in wait times as 'tripledemic' continues to rage

Healthcare experts are anticipating an increase in cases of COVID and seasonal illnesses associated with the so-called ‘tripledemic’ as the holiday season brings family and friends together.

Dr. Heather Osher, Medical Director of Patient First, says her facility is seeing increased wait times as more fall ill. To avoid overcrowding, Osher says it's important to keep tabs on their website.

"I tell people, as far as Patient First, you can always go on the website and see if the center is busy right now," Osher said.

People who fall ill should try to avoid large crowds to prevent spreading their sickness. As such, Dr. Osher suggests taking advantage of telehealth to talk to a healthcare provider about treatments.

"They’ll go on here real time with the camera and the computer, talk to them and diagnose, and we can do it all the computer electronically," Osher said.

While the passing of illness remains prevalent this winter, pharmacies are facing a shortage of over-the-counter and prescription medications to help alleviate patient's symptoms.

"It’s been a nightmare for the last few months getting in all children’s products," said Kourtney Chichilitti, a Pharmacist at Parkway Pharmacy.

On Tuesday night Parkway Pharmacy had only about 100 bottles of Children’s Motrin for families in need.

Long-term solutions should address:

1.

Diversification of manufacturing sources and raw material suppliers
2.

Title:

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.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

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

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.

Improved coordination between national and international health authorities
3.

Strategic reserves of critical medications
4.

Title:

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

Policies to discourage discontinuation of essential older medications
5.

Better forecasting systems to anticipate demand spikes
6.

Enhanced communication systems to help healthcare providers identify appropriate alternatives

Without such comprehensive approaches, medication shortages will likely continue to affect patients worldwide, with potentially life-threatening consequences.

Title:

Content: Drug supply problems have worsened in Estonia
This year, pharmacies in Estonia faced a much larger shortage of drugs than a year earlier.
Problems with supplies are caused by both increased demand and shortage of raw materials, reports rus.err with reference to "Actual chamber".
This spring, parents faced a shortage of antibiotics and antipyretic drugs suitable for children, and in the fall, the Sorbister drug for renal patients had to be issued from the state reserve stock, since it was not enough due to supply problems in pharmacies.
Hospitals are also facing a severe shortage of medicines this year.
“For example, hospitals use very important drugs to treat the consequences of heart attacks and strokes, the supply problems of which have been observed for a year, but thanks to good cooperation, we were able to ensure that no one was left without treatment, ” said Marco Tiisler, head of the Import and Export Supervision Department of the Drug Department.
In 2021, there was a shortage of 183 drugs in pharmacies, last year - 359, as of the end of this year - 450 drugs, and in the case of 130 drugs, the cause of the deficiency is unknown.
The second significant reason was a sudden surge in demand, for example, for the drug Ozempic, which is popular among those who lose weight, but drugs can be in short supply due to problems with production.
- Producers lack the active ingredient.
The active substances come from third countries, they are not always available, this was stated by one of the largest European manufacturers of antibiotics, - said Tiisler.
Drug supply problems put not only patients in a difficult position, but also doctors who have to quickly find replacements, sometimes in conditions of scarce information about alternatives.
If earlier, in the case of a shortage of drugs, the patient had to pay the full cost of the drug prescribed as a substitute, recently the Health Insurance Fund, as an exception, decided to extend the discount to some alternatives.
According to Lee Rootslane, head of the Union of Pharmacies, problems with the supply of medicines are a growing problem throughout Europe.
- This year, in cooperation with the Drug Department and family doctors, we made recommendations so that if a problem arises, we do not solve it after the fact, but try to provide some solutions and avoid panic.
In the case of children ’ s syrups, people read about the shortage of syrup, went to the pharmacy and took two syrups instead of the usual one, ” Rootslane said.
The drug department recommends having a weekly supply of non-prescription drugs and a monthly supply of prescription drugs at home.
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