Arezzo, 5 May 2023 – There is a lack of antibiotics, especially pediatric ones”. This is the alarm raised by pharmacists and confirmed by Roberto Giotti, president of Federfarma Arezzo. So it happens that many people, prescription in hand, are bounced back to the pharmacy. Medicines continue to be missing, a fluctuating situation for months with anti-inflammatories coming and going. We are far from the peaks of the beginning of the year with many empty drawers, but a major criticality remains which has worsened in recent weeks.
To be almost unobtainable now are the antibiotics, especially those for children. A situation exacerbated by the persistent presence of the widespread streptococcus virus in the pediatric age. “The same drugs are lacking in fluctuating ways but in recent days the shortage of antibiotics for both adults and children has worsened – explains the president of Federfarma Arezzo Roberto Giotti – especially the molecules amoxicillin and clavulanic acid which are the most used. In this period to be untraceable are above all these principles both for pediatric use and for the care of adults. The motivations? The lack of raw materials persists, then the highest use for the flu factor and above all for streptococcus which has raged and is raging in our areas in particular. We continue to do strep swabs every day and they are almost all positive, there is a very high incidence of the virus which is why there is great use of antibiotics which are prescribed by both general practitioners and paediatricians. Augmentin and Zimox are non-existent, they are not found in tablets or syrup. To the lack of active ingredients is also added that of products for packaging from blisters to bottles, combined with the greater prescription that has been made since January, the perfect storm has been created”. But anti-inflammatories are also in short supply. “If the antibiotics are not found, the anti-inflammatories and ibuprofen return and end immediately. Both branded drugs and their equivalents, tablets and sachets are missing”. Many are forced to go round the pharmacies to find the prescribed drug. “The pharmacist intervenes by looking for an equivalent substitute for the prescribed therapy, if he fails, the patient is sent back to the doctor. We hope that as spring progresses, the problem will go away”. “The basic molecules are missing, we are without antibiotics especially for children, aerosols and tablets, one product or another ends depending on the day, some dosages are missing, the sachets cannot be found, the brufen is missing – explains Dr. Cristina Redi of the central pharmacy – the distribution is not homogeneous”. “Some medicines return but amoxicillin and intestinal disinfectants are not found – they say to Romanelli – we are in shortage above all of antibiotics for children, syrups and Zimox are missing. We go around all the warehouses, from Arezzo to Perugia, but the situation fluctuates”. “Not all dosages are always found, we try to divert to equivalents if available” they say at the Merelli Pharmacy.