Medicine shortage worse than last winter, with 332 remedies low in stock

Around 332 medicines are now in short supply, a figure worse than last winter.

Azure Pharmaceuticals, which has been producing a medicines shortage index, said the rise amounts to 90pc in the last year.

“Global trends signal another winter of shortages in antibiotics and over-the-counter cough and cold medicines for patients affected by an unanswered crisis entering its second year,” a report on the index found.

Pharmacists on the ground echoed concerns, saying prescribers are having to switch to other options for some conditions such as attention deficit disorder medication. Pharmacists are also finding it more difficult to substitute different-strength medicines.

Sandra Gannon, of Azure Pharmaceuticals, has produced a white paper aimed at tackling medicine shortages, which calls for an essential medicines list that is specific to Ireland, as well as sustainable medicine pricing.

“The number of medicines in short supply with no licensed equivalent has risen at a pace we haven’t seen since the index began in October of last year,” Ms Gannon said.

“This escalation serves as a resounding call to action, necessitating our immediate attention and strategic solutions that can effectively address the pressing challenge.

“Other European countries like Germany, the UK, Sweden, Switzerland, Portugal, Denmark and others have implemented a spectrum of domestic policy measures to safeguard their national interests. These countries have demonstrated foresight in addressing the potential vulnerabilities in their healthcare systems.

“The root causes of many of these shortages come down to the way in which medicines generally are reimbursed and the need to strive for lower-cost manufacturing sources in order to meet demands of government for ever lower prices.”

In response, the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) said at any time shortages of individual brands or strengths can occur, but for most medicines supplied in Ireland, “there are alternatives such as different strengths, brands or similar classes to ensure continuity of care”.

The spokesperson said its data “would indicate that there has been an increase in the rate of shortage reporting in the range of 25pc to 30pc between 2022 and 2023”. They added: “This trend is reflected across other European markets.

“The reasons for this increase are multifactorial, including post-pandemic factors, but includes an increased rate of reporting by pharmaceutical companies as this area gains increasing focus by the HPRA, Department of Health, European Medicines Agency and European Commission.”

The HPRA said it is actively participating in existing co-ordinating action at European level. These actions include the development of a union list of critical medicines which will be available by the end of 2023. Member states can also use regulatory exemptions to allow medicines to reach patients.

The absolute number of shortages notified and listed on the HPRA website does not all indicate risk to patients, given that alternative treatments are generally available to ensure continuity of care, indeed representing it as such may cause unnecessary alarm to patients, said the spokesperson.​