There has never been a shortage of more medicines in a year than in 2022, Alice Prince, president of the pharmacists’ association KNMP, told Saturday night’s TV show KASSA. The number of times was close to 1,514 times.
On average, the shortage last year lasted 91 days, Prince told KASSA. In addition, in 2021 he will have 1007 drug shortages.
The Pharmacists Association calls a shortage when a drug is not available nationwide for at least two weeks. Drug shortages may occur several times within a year. If the shortage is cleared but the drugs are again unavailable for a long time months later, they will be counted separately, he explained, a KNMP spokesperson.
Starting this year, wholesalers will be required to keep emergency stocks of drugs, the spokesperson said. According to pharmacists, this measure could potentially offset some of the shortage.
In response to the medicine shortage figures released by KNMP, Health Minister Ernst Kuipers wants to consider all possible solutions to make medicines available to patients. The Ministry of Public Health (VWS) is not only considering measures that the Netherlands itself can take to address the shortage of medicines, but also underscores the critical importance of acting together as Europe. I’m here.
“Shortage is a global problem and can only be adequately addressed at the international level,” a health ministry spokeswoman said. As an example of such an EU approach, the spokesperson cited the vaccine capacity already reserved for Europe for the possibility of the next pandemic.
On Saturday, the ministry was not yet aware of the figures presented by KNMP as they had not released them until the telecast. However, VWS has been working for some time on measures to avoid shortages wherever possible. For example, after January 1, drug wholesalers and marketing authorization holders will have to maintain two-and-a-half months of “iron inventory,” said a ministry spokesperson.
Additionally, the ministry is holding discussions with wholesalers, pharmacists, pharmacists and health insurers “to see how we can move forward,” according to a spokesperson. and the role of purchasing policies for health insurers, wholesalers and pharmacists.
Recently, the pharmaceutical company Innogeneric went bankrupt. The health ministry said bankruptcies could lead to shortages of some medicines in the coming months.
InnoGenerics manufactured drugs in tablet form, including drugs for gout, depression, cardiovascular disease, epilepsy, diabetes, and more. The company will finally close its doors next week.
But bankruptcy is also a concern for KNMP. Shortages can usually be made up, for example, by sourcing medicines from abroad, the spokesperson said. However, patients may have to take unusual medications for their illnesses, which pharmacists often find inconvenient.
Overall, drug shortages are the result of production and distribution problems. However, KNMP hopes the country will become less dependent on medicines from abroad. “This makes us very vulnerable,” the spokesperson claimed.
