Drug shortages and pharmacy deaths – there are many reasons for problems when buying medicines. Around a third of Germans find it difficult to get their medicine.
Frankfurt – Whether it's fever medication or painkillers – everyone needs medication at some point. But things are not looking particularly good for the supply of medicines in Germany at the moment: supply bottlenecks have been occurring again and again for months. As a result, some medications are becoming scarce; there is no quick fix in sight.
The situation is further exacerbated by the death of pharmacies, this year the number of branches has fallen to the same level as 40 years ago. This is also noticeable among buyers. In a survey conducted as part of a study commissioned by the Federal Association of Drug Manufacturers (BAH), around 35 percent of respondents said they had difficulties buying drugs in the past year. In a similar survey conducted by the BAH last year, only 18 percent of respondents said they had had problems buying medicines. But it's not just the users who are dissatisfied. There is also criticism from the pharmacies themselves.
Problems with the purchase of medicines – shortages of almost 500 medicines
There have recently been supply bottlenecks for antibiotics and fever syrups for children, for example, which caused many parents to despair. "Antibiotics are vital medicines, but the supply situation is currently catastrophic," warned Hans-Peter Hubmann, chairman of the German Pharmacists' Association.
The Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) currently lists 483 reports of supply bottlenecks – with around 100,000 approved medicines in Germany. For many scarce medicines, however, there are alternatives, according to the authority.
In the past year, there has been an increasing shortage of medicines. In a survey, 35 percent of participants had already had problems making a purchase. (Symbolic image) © Jan Woitas/dpa
About 40 percent of those affected tried to get their medication at a later date and more than 30 percent had to resort to a different medication than the one they originally wanted. A new prescription had to be issued for seven percent of those affected because the drug was out of stock.
Shortages and gizzards for medicines: Pharmaceutical industry criticises "exaggerated cost containment policy"
The Federal Government is tackling several issues in the fight against scarce medicines. In this way, larger inventories of the manufacturers are intended to serve as a buffer. In addition, there should be an obligation to keep stock, so that medicines are in stock for several months. This is intended to cushion short-term disruptions in the supply chain or short-term additional demand. There will also be new price rules to make deliveries to Germany more attractive for manufacturers.
There is criticism from the pharmaceutical industry – The "exaggerated cost containment policy" of recent years has led to enormous price pressure, especially on manufacturers of patent-free drugs, said BAH Managing Director Hubertus Cranz. "The result is the outsourcing of supply chains with a focus on Asia as well as a thinning out of the supplier structure in the market, because production is no longer economically worthwhile for many companies." Already, 70 percent of medicines receive active ingredients from China, which makes Germany dependent. (Kiba/dpa)