Pharmacies are sounding the alarm: a number of medicines are in short supply – “the situation is bad”

Created: 11/28/2022, 2:39 p.m

By: Martina Lippl

Fever juice for children is currently in short supply in pharmacies.

Gastric acid blockers and certain antibiotics are also scarce.

Pharmacies in Germany are currently struggling with delivery bottlenecks.

Munich – Quickly fill in a prescription for antibiotics in the pharmacy or buy a fever syrup for the child, that can be a problem right now.

In the pharmacies in Germany there have been repeated delivery bottlenecks for some time.

The supply of some remedies is becoming scarce - extremely scarce.

Patients have to switch to alternatives.

It sounds easier than it is.

Pharmacists and general practitioners are sounding the alarm.

Because, the cold season and thus the cold season is still to come.

"The situation is bad" - These drugs are becoming scarce in Germany

"The situation is bad," said the chairman of the North Rhine pharmacists' association, Thomas Preis last week.

He has never experienced anything like this in more than 30 years of work.

Despite the dramatic delivery bottlenecks, "pharmacies and medical practices are able to ensure drug therapies," emphasize Thomas Preis and Dr.

Oliver Funken, Chairman of the North Rhine Association of General Practitioners, in a press release.

What is a delivery bottleneck?

According to the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM), a delivery bottleneck is “an interruption of a delivery of the usual extent that is expected to last more than 2 weeks or a significantly increased demand that cannot be adequately met.”

Pharmacists and general practitioners demand production in Germany

“Germany used to be the world's pharmacy, today it's India and China.

And that leads to a lot of delivery problems,” explain Preis and Funke.

Drug production must be moved back to Europe, they demand.

According to general practitioners and pharmacists, the health insurance companies' discount agreements would also exacerbate the bottlenecks in medicines.

80 percent of the medicines sold in Germany are generics.

Subsequent products of a proven original preparation with the same active ingredient are usually much cheaper.

Drug delivery bottlenecks in Germany: pharmacists sound the alarm (symbolic photo).

© Science Photo Library/imago

For cost reasons, generic drugs are mostly manufactured in India or China.

However, pharmaceutical companies are under pressure.

Rising energy prices and material costs are also causing problems for the pharmaceutical giants.

Manufacturers cannot easily pass on the increased prices to customers.

Some producers withdraw from the market when the active ingredient becomes too expensive and the business is no longer worthwhile.

That was the case with the fever juices for children.

The Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) listed drugs with supply bottlenecks in a database.

There are currently 298 (as of November 28).

Additional information on the reported delivery bottlenecks can also be found.

also read

Photo shows unsuccessful Elbphilharmonie action: climate sticker simply placed in the hallway

Record winter in Germany: new weather forecast scares experts

• Pain relievers – like ibuprofen

• Antibiotics

  -

  active substances involved: amoxicillin and phenoxymethylpenicillin

• Cancer drugs – such as tamoxifen

• diabetes medication

• immunosuppressants

• antihypertensive

There are always bottlenecks in medicines in Germany.

But there are alternatives for many scarce medicines.

A delivery bottleneck does not mean a supply bottleneck at the same time, emphasizes the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) on its website.