Shortages in pharmacies: Prices for medicines are rising drastically
Created: 2022-12-27 09:03
By: Stella Henrich
Physicians are calling for state production of vital medicines in Germany.
However, this also has a drastic impact on the prices that consumers have to pay for medicines.
Munich - Anyone who needs cancer medication or just cough syrup for children has a problem.
The products are becoming scarce in pharmacies.
Germany is now heavily dependent on production abroad.
Curiously, the problem is not that there is a shortage of medicines such as fever syrup for children, paracetamol or ibuprofen.
The problem is that these drugs are better paid for abroad and obviously cannot be marketed lucratively in this country.
In addition, there are delivery bottlenecks for antibiotics or cancer drugs that are imported from China or India.
The situation in the domestic drug market has consequences.
Consumer prices are rising.
Online pharmacies, for example, have already raised the prices for classic cold medicines by an average of eight percent since November, reports
Wirtschaftswoche
, citing an exclusive evaluation by the Stuttgart-based company Price Intelligence.
Price changes of selected medicines in comparison:
drug | price change | Number of products offered |
cough suppressant | + 18 percent | - 40 percent |
Common cold and flu remedies | + 7 percent | - 27 percent |
sore throat medicine | + 12 percent | - 24 percent |
cold remedies | + 11 percent | - 19 percent |
Source:
Price Intelligence in Wirtschaftswoche (average percentage changes from 1 November to 19 December 2022)
The overview shows that the average price for cough suppressants in online pharmacies has risen by 18 percent since November.
The number of cough relievers offered fell by 40 percent during this period.
Supply and demand are obviously out of balance.
With additional consequences for prices in Germany.
Cough syrups for children are often difficult to obtain in pharmacies in this country.
(symbol image) © imago
Prices for medicines are rising: Europe has to produce more medicines itself again
The problem of rising prices with an additional shortage of medicines does not only affect online retailers.
Christian Splett, Deputy Spokesman of the Federal Union of German Associations of Pharmacists e.
V. (ABDA), pointed out several months ago the limited availability of fever juices, suppositories for children with the active ingredients paracetamol and ibuprofen,
Business Insider
reports .
There are only a few manufacturers who supply the German market with this product.
A situation that Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach has long recognized.
In terms of regulatory policy, the minister wants to intervene in the market by easing the price regulations for children's medicines, medicines from European manufacturers come into play again and stocks of the cheapest medicines are built up.
In an interview with Tagesschau.de
, Lauterbach explained that medicines for adult cancer care and antibiotics should also become more available through financial incentives
.
Drug prices: Health Minister Karl Lauterbach announces the end of the discounter policy
In order to achieve the minister's declared goals, statutory health insurance companies should be able to pay up to 1.5 times the previous maximum amount for required medicines in the event of bottlenecks.
The co-payment for medication should also be limited for the patient.
The minister wants to slow down the further economization of the health system and end the discounter policy in the drug trade.
The plans are to be implemented in the new year.
Lauterbach said a "discounter policy" had continuously worsened the supply for decades.
"Turning that back won't happen overnight."
Stay up to date on consumer information and product recalls with our brand new consumer newsletter.