The winter season of 2022/23 was marked by huge supply bottlenecks for pediatric antibiotics in the whole of Europe. Therefore, at the end of April 2023, the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) officially announced a supply shortage in accordance with Section 79 (5) AMG for juices containing antibiotics for children. The next flu season 2023/24 also passed with supply difficulties.
In June 2024 the Bottleneck Advisory Board met in accordance with Section 52b (3b) of the German Medicines Act (AMG) on supply and supply bottlenecks. “There is still a shortage of antibiotic-containing juices for children for individual active ingredients,” was announced. Antibiotic juices with the active ingredients penicillin V, amoxicillin, clarithromycin, cefadroxil, and sultamicillin are currently available to a very limited extent. Although imports were able to ease the situation partially, the general situation remains tense.
It’s important to mention that not only antibiotic oral suspensions are in shortage, but also oral forms for adults, especially those with active ingredients amoxicillin, azithromycin, and doxycycline. They are used to treat sexually transmitted diseases. The Association of Outpatient Physicians for Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine (dagnä), the German AIDS Aid (DAH), and the Representation of HIV-Competent Pharmacies (DAHKA) are sounding the alarm about how hard the situation for the patients continues to be.
Source: Antibiotic juices remain in short supply | PHARMACY ADHOC (apotheke-adhoc.de)
Official letter from HAV to the Minister Lauterbach – regarding the Bottlenecks for Pediatric Antibiotics
The autumn and the new winter season of 2024/25 are approaching. Still, the measures the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) already took with the law against supply bottlenecks (ALBVVG) didn’t get the results the German patients and medical professionals expected. Mathias Arnold, ABDA’s vice president comments “How the situation with children’s medicines will develop in the cold season that begins soon is not yet foreseeable. Demand depends on the incidence of infection”
Pro Generika Managing Director Bork Bretthauer also warns: “The ALBVVG is not able to solve the problem of supply bottlenecks,” said Managing Director Bork Bretthauer.
Now the chairman of the Hessian Pharmacists’ Association (HAV), Holger Seyfarth, joins his colleagues: “Due to massive supply bottlenecks and inadequate political measures, public pharmacies can no longer fully fulfill their sovereign mandate to supply people in Germany with medicines.” In his letter to Minister Lauterbach, he wrote a few appropriate measures that need to be taken. Among them are minimum stockpiling, diversification of suppliers, and a “state-supervised system for the early detection of supply gene shortages”. Also, On-site pharmacies need to receive extensive logistical and financial support for the stockpiling of critical prescription drugs.
Source: Three demands: Supply bottlenecks: HAV writes to Lauterbach (deutsche-apotheker-zeitung.
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