The 2023 PGEU Medicine Shortages Report can be accessed here. The survey results indicate that medicine shortages are a growing problem across Europe and that pharmacies across the EU spend on average almost 10 hours per week dealing with medicine shortages.
The PGEU have made several policy recommendations in their report, which are aligned to the IPU position and are detailed below:
- Ensure availability: Governments and stakeholders must put patients’ needs first when developing national laws and business strategies respectively. These should first and foremost aim to ensure a timely and adequate supply of medicines to patients. Effective compliance with EU and national laws related to the public service obligations of supply chain actors needs to be assured.
- Widen professional competence: The scope of pharmacy practice should be extended when medicines are in short supply, so pharmacists can use their skills, knowledge, and experience to better manage patient care and guarantee continuity of treatment.
- Improve transparency, reporting, monitoring, and communication on medicine shortages.
- Compensate financial impact: The resource investment by pharmacists and pharmacies to manage shortages must be recognised and valued.
The IPU members Medicines Shortage Survey will be conducted in February and given the growing issue of medicine shortages we are encouraging all members to take the time to complete the survey.
