On May 14, 2019, the announcement of the Minister of Health on drugs threatened with unavailability on the territory of the Republic of Poland was published. The list includes, among others insulins, measles vaccines, anticoagulants and medications for epilepsy or asthma, and milk replacers.
The list of medicinal products, foodstuffs for particular nutritional uses and medical devices at risk of unavailability on the territory of the Republic of Poland as of May 15, 2019 includes 288 items. Patients may have difficulty getting the products listed on it.
The announcement of the Minister of Health includes drugs that allow some patients to function normally. Certain insulins are at risk of unavailability in the territory of the Republic of Poland, including: Actrapid Penfill, Mixtard, Insuman and Humalog. The list also includes Pulmicort nebuliser suspensions and Berodual inhalation sprays; the antiepileptic Vimpat and the anticoagulants: Clexane, Fragmin and Xarelto. The list published by the Ministry of Health also includes, for example, Combigan eye drops and Neulasta solution for injection, used in cancer patients. The list includes the drugs Zypadhera and Rispolept, used, inter alia, in by patients with schizophrenia, and the drug Anafranil with an antidepressant effect. Concerta, a drug used, inter alia, in in the treatment of ADHD. There may also be problems with the availability of eight milk replacers (Bebilon pepti 2 DHA, Infatrini Peptisorb, Neocate Junior, Neocate LCP, Nutramigen 1 LGG, Nutramigen 2 LGG, Nutramigen 3 LGG, Nutramigen PURAMINO).
The full list of drugs at risk of unavailability is available in the Official Journal of the Minister of Health.
What is the Endangered Medicines List?
According to the so-called The anti-export act, the duty of pharmaceutical inspectors operating in individual provinces is to monitor and report to the Main Pharmaceutical Inspectorate information on drugs that meet the deficit criteria. On this basis, the Minister of Health compiles a list of preparations, the availability of which should be particularly protected. The list includes drugs that are at least 5% missing. pharmacies in a given province.