Some essential life-saving medicines are still missing on the German Market as of 12.09.2024. “The current legislation has no effect whatsoever,” says Mr. Holger Seyfarth the Chairman of the HAV (Hessian Pharmacists’ Association), urgently calling for reforms to combat the ongoing supply bottlenecks and an immediate improvement in the supply of medicines.
Although more than a year passed since the law against supply bottlenecks (ALBVVG) is in force approx. 500 medicines are still in shortage, including different antibiotics (amoxicillin, doxycycline, etc.), insulin, and cancer drugs. The measures taken aren’t sufficient and in an official letter to the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG), the HAV calls for an immediate end to the price dictation of the health insurance companies for discount contracts, more transparency in the supply chains, and a new regulation of the strategic stockpiling of essential medicines in local pharmacies – including financial support.
According to Seyfarth, the results are so unsatisfying that urgent changes are needed in several aspects for example to decrease the bureaucratic hurdles and more incentives for the pharmaceutical companies to create additional production capacities in Europe. The dependence on Asian manufacturers has already shown how critical the situation could be during pandemic waves or even flu epidemics.
“It is completely unacceptable that people in Germany cannot be supplied with the necessary medicines. Here, politicians have a duty to take appropriate measures immediately to remedy this situation” Seyfarth emphasizes.
Source: Supply bottlenecks: HAV demands stockpiling fee | PHARMACY ADHOC (apotheke-adhoc.de)
Update on Life-saving Missing Medicines in Germany – German version
„Die aktuelle Gesetzgebung ist völlig wirkungslos“, sagt der Vorsitzende des Hessischen Apothekerverbandes (HAV), Holger Seyfarth, und fordert dringend Reformen zur Bekämpfung der anhaltenden Versorgungsengpässe und eine sofortige Verbesserung der Arzneimittelversorgung.
Obwohl seit dem Inkrafttreten des Gesetzes gegen Versorgungsengpässe (ALBVVG) mehr als ein Jahr vergangen ist, sind immer noch ca. 500 Arzneimittel knapp, darunter verschiedene Antibiotika (Amoxicillin, Doxycyclin, etc.), Insulin, Krebsmittel. Die getroffenen Maßnahmen reichen nicht aus und in einem offiziellen Schreiben an das Bundesministerium für Gesundheit (BMG) fordert der HAV ein sofortiges Ende des Preisdiktats der Krankenkassen bei Rabattverträgen, mehr Transparenz in den Lieferketten und eine Neuregelung der strategischen Bevorratung von lebenswichtigen Arzneimitteln in den Apotheken vor Ort – einschließlich finanzieller Unterstützung.
Nach Ansicht von Seyfarth sind die Ergebnisse so unbefriedigend, dass dringende Änderungen in mehreren Bereichen notwendig sind, z.B. der Abbau bürokratischer Hürden, mehr Anreize für die Pharmaunternehmen, zusätzliche Produktionskapazitäten in Europa zu schaffen. Die Abhängigkeit von den asiatischen Herstellern hat bereits gezeigt, wie kritisch die Situation bei Pandemiewellen oder gar Grippeepidemien werden kann.
„Es ist völlig inakzeptabel, dass die Menschen in Deutschland nicht mit den notwendigen Medikamenten versorgt werden können. Hier ist die Politik in der Pflicht, unverzüglich geeignete Maßnahmen zu ergreifen, um hier Abhilfe zu schaffen“, betont Seyfarth.
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