HE Medicine shortage in Spanish pharmacies has been increasing steadily in recent years. The latest data from the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Healthcare Products (AEMPS) shows that a total of 740 medicines are currently experiencing supply problems in Spain, including more than 881 in the last three months. This figure has nearly tripled compared to four years ago. Industry inefficiency is a concern in the pharmaceutical industry, but a solution has yet to be agreed upon. a complex problem considered multifactorialO. Among the reasons for this are the increase in demand from time to time, the problems experienced in packaging supply, the inability to obtain raw materials from China and India, and the increase in exports in parallel.
head Federation of Pharmacists Associations of Catalonia (Fefak), Anthony Torres, warned that the situation is worsening: “The drug shortage in Spain will increase, affecting more and more molecules of interest.” Labs and distributors blame each other for the proliferation of product diversions to European countries with higher selling prices. According to Torres, Price differentials between Spain and part of the rest of Europe are high, on average, is on the order of 50% with Germany, although for some specialty drug offerings they can multiply the regulated selling price in Spain by seven. “The current healthcare system with low investment, low wages and low drug prices is not sustainable. Drug prices continue to fall two to three times a year“, he assures. But there are no reliable studies comparing prices in Europe, and laboratories tend to envy information on this.
Within the European framework, formulas are sought to alleviate the problem, including: a system of aid or solidarity between countries in case of famine. Also on the table are setting price ranges for drugs on the community market, creating a strategic list of drugs and limiting the movement of pharmaceutical products in the EU.
The struggle to limit health spending in the last crisis of 2008 led to constraints on the public budget for drugs for which laboratories have yet to recover. The context of low prices has supported the production of the basics in China and their handling in India, where GDP growth in recent years has combined with greater domestic consumption of pharmaceuticals and more problems in sourcing abroad. As a result, a perfect storm is breaking out in which Europe’s foreign dependence becomes more severe. The recent pandemic has brought the issue to the fore even more.
Employer Pharma industry “The low prices of some drugs in our country invite wholesalers to selectively export products to other countries where the prices are higher. This is a legal practice, but it affects national markets. Our companies report to the health authority how much drugs they produce.” is available on the Spanish market, which is considered strategic for our affiliates, but companies cannot guarantee that this product will not leave Spain later on”.
For distributorsgrouped under employer Fedifar“The responsibility for the shortcomings of the distributors is reduced due to their position in the chain, the responsible ones are the laboratories”. Distributors emphasize that the main problem so far has been “demand peaks”.
It is true, according to Torres, that Spain’s famines have global as well as structural and incidental causes. Among the first, for example, explains the case of Ozenpic, which is used with a weekly dose to improve blood sugar (glucose) levels in adults with type 2 diabetes and reduce the risk of serious cardiovascular problems such as stroke. attack, stroke, or death in adults. The problem is that it is also used for weight loss, which caused unexpected shortages due to higher-than-expected demand. Quick lack of information for doctors when prescribing drugs can aggravate the problem. However, it is noteworthy that the medical community did not raise their criticism of the supply problems, which mostly point to laboratories. The traditional good relations between doctors and laboratories may have had an effect.
Among the structural reasons contributing to the deficiency, the recent lack of supply, for example, of children’s syrup in antibiotics, stands out, but alternatives can be sachets, capsules or tablets. In these cases, pharmacists also recommend a greater capacity and “broader criteria” to offer pharmacological alternatives. They recommend “not forcing pharmacists to give the cheapest drug”, as the price differentials between similar drugs are often very small and this necessity intensifies demand and eliminates alternatives.
The employers’ association Farmaindustria also increase in regulated prices. Juan Yermo, managing director of Farmaindustria, advocates for improvements in drug pricing and public financing procedures, and for a model that is “agile, predictable and efficient.” “The target is achievable but requires profound reform. It is necessary to reformulate the pricing and funding system, the evaluation methodology, the role, deadlines and structure of the therapeutic positioning reports (IPT) accompanying new drugs, and for drugs that provide the greatest clinical benefit to patients. early access mechanisms,” Yermo commented recently.
according to sources Spanish Pharmacists Business Federation (FEFE), 50% of the units’ consumption is produced with drugs priced below six euros. Portugal has just approved a price review for drugs with a 5% price increase for drugs under 10 Euros. Prices between 10 and 15 euros will be updated with a 2% increase. It is also planned to establish a list of essential or critical drugs, the availability of which will be monitored with special care. The Portuguese example is followed closely by Spain, but the election year could slow and delay any movement in drug price increases.
In Spain, hospital and pharmacies’ spending on medicines and health products ranged from 36.4% to 38.3% of total public health expenditure between 2005 and 2021, as shown in the Public Health Expenditure Statistics (ESGP) data published by the ministry. left. Collected by Health and Diario Farma.