Last year, over 4.5 million people faced a medicine shortage, according to AD. The pharmacists’ organization KNMP recorded 1,563 medicines as (temporarily) unavailable in 2024.
This is a decrease from 2023, when nearly 2,300 medicines were in short supply. However, “the 2024 figures are still not good news,” said Aris Prins, chairman of KNMP, to the newspaper.
In 193 instances, the shortages involved life-critical medications that needed swift availability, such as the salbutamol inhaler for breathing difficulties, which has been unavailable for an entire year. Additionally, 669 essential medicines were not always accessible last year.
Without these, patients could face death or significant health burdens within three days to three months. In the category of necessary medicines, there were 310 shortages, affecting drugs for nausea and vomiting.
Due to these shortages, children experiencing persistent vomiting are given stronger medications typically intended for chemotherapy-induced nausea. Prins cites the preference policy of health insurers as a cause of shortages.
Insurers make price agreements with manufacturers, requiring pharmacies to dispense specific drugs to ensure patient reimbursement. “It’s fine to reduce prices,” Prins states, “but medicines shouldn’t become unavailable as a result.” The Institute for Responsible Medication Use suggests that reusing medicines could be a solution, following a survey of 545 medicine users.
Pharmacists, however, express concerns over ensuring the quality of reused medicines.
Source: NOS