Contents
There is a shortage of drugs in Polish pharmacies – such information appears in the media more and more often. Up to 50 medications may be a problem. People are supposed to travel to distant cities in search of them. The anxiety is all the greater as ministerial lists of drugs at risk of availability are getting longer and longer. The health ministry explains where the problem comes from, and Dr. n. Farm. Leszek Borkowski says straightforward how to support the sick: one simple thing would be enough.
- The media more and more often inform that pharmacies are running out of some drugs, including those for diabetes and hormonal drugs
- Dr. n. Farm. Leszek Borkowski for Wirtualna Polska: the shortages have remained at a similar level for several months and concern 50 drugs
- The Ministry of Health admits that temporary deficiencies may indeed occur. “It is most often associated with an increased demand for these drugs”, manufacturers are not able to produce as many drugs
- According to Dr. Borkowski, “one simple thing would be enough – preparation and publication of a list of substitutes”. If the drug does not have a replacement, there is another solution
- You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page
Some medications are running low in pharmacies. The anxiety grows
For several weeks now, the media have been alarming that pharmacies are running out of drugs. «It is a whole series of different preparations for various conditions. From psychiatric medications to baby milk and diabetes medications. There is always a lack of a medicine from each group – explained to TVN24 reporter Piotr Borowski, Łukasz Konka from one of the pharmacies in Łódź. “We always offer the patient an equivalent (…) But when a drug from a given group is missing, then in a moment these equivalents will be missing” – added the pharmacist.
“There are such situations that patients are looking for these products themselves” – reports Piotr Borowski. “Then we have situations where people from Bydgoszcz, Toruń or Warsaw come to Lodz, because they found a pharmacy here, where the drug they are looking for is there, and those from Lodz go to other cities, even 100 km away”.
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The recent announcement of the Office for Registration of Medicinal Products, Medical Devices and Biocidal Products (URLP) about “temporary disruptions in the supply” of a drug used in ovarian stimulation may also have raised concerns. The situation may persist until the end of August. The URLP therefore recommends not to start a treatment cycle with this preparation. The Office also informs about temporary restrictions on the supply of a drug used to treat medullary thyroid cancer (the normal mode of delivery is forecast for the fourth quarter of 2022).
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The anxiety was intensified by the last so-called anti-export list of drugs. Let us recall that this is a bi-monthly “list of medicinal products, foodstuffs for particular nutritional uses and medical devices at risk of unavailability on the territory of the Republic of Poland”. While the May set had 212 positions, the July set has 215.
Drug shortages and anti-export list. The Ministry of Health explains
The spokesman of the Ministry of Health, Wojciech Andrusiewicz, recently commented on the information about the lack of certain medications.
“In the media it is mainly emphasized that there is a lack of drugs for diabetics and the life of diabetics is in danger, that there is a lack of hormone therapies and that popular antibiotics for children are missing. Indeed, temporary deficiencies, as we publish every two months, may indeed occur. This is most often associated with an increased demand for these medications»- explained the spokesman of the Ministry of Health. Wojciech Andrusiewicz admitted that in the case of diabetes, the demand for one of the drugs on the anti-fertilization list has increased fivefold this year. “(…) despite the fact that the provisioning has been doubled, the producer is still not able to meet the demand emerging on the market (…)” – said Andrusiewicz.
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When it comes to drugs used in hormone therapy, the demand is also growing so much that manufacturers are not able to produce as many drugs. In the case of antibiotics for children, the spokesman of the Ministry of Health pointed to the COVID-19 epidemic and a small number of infections that had to be treated with antibiotics, because children did not meet each other, and as a result, some of the drugs had to be disposed of. “Planning for this year is based on last year’s demand. Hence the lack of it »- he explained.
The spokesman for the Ministry of Health also referred to the July “anti-export list” «Unfortunately, some people misinterpret that there are 215 drugs on it. No, there are no 215 medications on it. There are 215 different types of packages, these packages sometimes refer to the same drug with different intensity of its action. This list includes less than 70 medications, drugs. Referring to the number of drugs that can be bought in Poland, that is 16 thousand, 70 that is around 0,4 percent. » – he stressed.
How to help patients? “One simple thing would suffice”
«The anti-export list is a protection of the health department in case of lack of specific preparations. Meanwhile, the actual shortages have remained at a similar level for several months and concern 50 drugs »- admitted Dr. n. Farm in an interview with Wirtualna Polska. Leszek Borkowski, clinical pharmacologist from the Wolski Hospital in Warsaw, former president of the Registration Office. This is a big problem for patients. However, Dr. Borkowski sees a way that many of them will make life easier and save stress.
“Unfortunately, the fact that the government is not taking the appropriate action only fuels the panic among patients and their families. However, one simple thing would be enough – preparation and publication of a list of substitutes, i.e. approx. 90 percent. drugs that are not available in pharmacies can be replaced by others»- indicates a specialist and notes:« To prepare such a list you do not need any financial outlays and special involvement of employees. That’s a maximum of two hours of work for one person, and the benefits would be huge. This would help not only patients but also doctors ».
What if the drug does not have a substitute? This “also does not mean that the patient is left without help” – emphasizes the pharmacist. «In such situations, guided by the mechanism of action of a specific agent, we look for drugs from other pharmacological groups that work on a similar principle. Sometimes this means treatment with several substitute agents, but the patient is not left without treatment »- noted Dr. Leszek Borkowski.
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