Before flu season: supply bottlenecks for many medications

With the start of the flu season, there are still delays and bottlenecks in the supply of medicines in Saxony. "There are currently shortages of antibiotics, antihypertensives, painkillers, cancer drugs and insulins," said Reinhard Groß, deputy chairman of the Saxon Pharmacists' Association. So far, however, a substitute preparation can be offered in most cases.

In many cases, a whole range of medicines are available, but not in the required quantities, explained Groß. The list of affected medicines and medical products varies between 400 and 1,000 preparations within the pharmacy landscape.

Extent of possible flu epidemic unclear

At the moment, all young patients can still be treated, emphasized Groß. "But the cold season has not yet begun. It is currently difficult to make a forecast, as we do not know how manufacturers have prepared for the coming fall/winter season or how severe the cold and flu epidemic will actually be."

If certain medications are missing, substitute preparations could be offered in most cases. However, according to the association, pharmacies are economically limited by contractual regulations with the statutory health insurance funds, despite their great pharmaceutical expertise. "During the coronavirus pandemic, these limits were extended in order to be able to supply the population with substitute preparations quickly and with as little contact as possible, with very good results," said Groß.

The association is therefore calling for the regulations on the supply of medicines to be permanently relaxed due to the ongoing supply bottlenecks. This could spare patients a longer waiting time and relieve the already thin staffing levels in pharmacies by avoiding the enormous bureaucratic burden associated with supply bottlenecks.