More than 900 medications disappeared from the chemists Canary Islands at the beginning of this year. Although the situation is improving compared to the first year of the pandemic –when this problem began– the global shortage of drugs continues to make some widely used presentations like the painkiller Efferalgan or the glucose regulator for diabetic patients, Ozempic, impossible to find.
To alleviate a problem that has been lingering, the cooperatives supplying the Canarian chemists work with a real-time information system to know which medications are out of stock and be able to provide a solution to the patients. As explained by the College of Pharmacists of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Coftf), this tool allows for a quicker search for the medication the patient needs.
What medicines are missing?
According to the latest report from the Centre for Information on Drug Supply (Cismed), between 8 and 14 April, the medications most in short supply in Spanish chemists are those dedicated to treating problems of the digestive system and metabolism and those of the nervous system, accounting for 43.6% of the shortage notifications together. They are followed by dermatological drugs (14.1%) and those used to treat pathologies affecting the organs of the senses (10.3%).
Among the most scarce medications in the last week are Zaditen, eye drops used to treat allergic conjunctivitis; Efferalgan, a painkiller and antipyretic, Sebiprox, medicinal shampoo used in seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp; Ozempic, used for type 2 diabetes treatment; and Bactroban nasal, used in the treatment of nasal bacterial infections.
According to a study published by Luda Partners, the most expensive medications to acquire currently in Canarian chemists are Trulicity, Ozempic, Lexatin, Vokanamet, Fiasp, Atrovent, Colircusi Ciclopléjico, Ciclochem, and Hibor.
In detail, Trulicity, Ozempic, Fiasp, and Vokanamet are intended for diabetes treatment, while Lexatin is used for anxiety. On the other hand, Atrovent is prescribed for chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) and Colircusi ciclopléjico is used in eye examinations. Ciclochem is a shampoo for topical fungal use and Hibor is indicated to prevent blood clots. This summary provides visibility on the quantity and variety of medications that have trouble being located on the shelves of the chemists in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Chemists rely on Cismed to know the medications that are in a shortage state on a weekly basis but also use Farmahelp, an application that allows the community pharmacist to contact nearby chemists when a patient needs a medication and doesn’t have access to it.
Anticipating the issue
To avoid the problems arising from this global shortage, the Aemps has implemented measures to anticipate the issue. For example, when they anticipate an increase in demand –such as during a flu season or similar– pharmaceutical companies selling these medications are requested to take this into account when producing them. They have also limited the export of medications with supply issues abroad, reducing this exchange of drugs by up to 50%.
One of the most relevant lines of work is related to the Strategic Medicines List. The AEMPS has requested manufacturers of these medications to provide plans to prevent supply problems and has been in contact with several of them to require modifications to these prevention plans to ensure a more resilient supply chain.
This list includes various vaccines –including those for covid and flu–, broad-spectrum antibiotics (such as azithromycin or acyclovir), muscle relaxants and anxiolytics (diazepam), antihypertensives (methyldopa), opioid analgesics (methadone), and anticoagulants (rivaroxaban).
Subscribe to continue reading
