Do you want to advertise on this site?
Do not worry and it is “forbidden” to hoard because “no one is left without”; but, despite the presence of alternative (and temporary) solutions, the problem is undeniable: at least one drug, a syrup for children, is missing. And it’s worried hunting in pharmaciesthese days of influenza and viral forms that especially affect the youngest citizens of Brescia as well as the rest of Italy.
Of drug shortage we have been talking for some time, the last occasion was a few days ago, with the president of the Order of Pharmacists of Brescia, Francesco Rastrelli. Now, the flu peak has begun, let’s do the point of the situation is Clara Mottinelli, president of Federfarma Brescia. To explain the causes of the phenomenon, report how it is being tackled, dampen alarms that it ensures are excessive.
The cause
The first signs were registered last summer, even in the month of July, when I’ve run out of ibuprofen, “the leading molecule in the fight against Covid”, underlines Dr. Mottinelli, thus tracing the current situation first of all to the massive use of this anti-inflammatory for the treatment of the pandemic. Today, however, faced with the outbreak of flu, there is also a lack of antibiotics and fluidifiers. But that’s not all: among the causes of the shortage of medicines there is also a problem relating to packaging, or rather the supply chain which passes through glassworks and paper mills; to say, there was a time when there were no syrup bottles.
“Now from this point of view we are starting again – says the president of Federfarma – albeit with some difficulty”. Again: «It exists an export problem – denounces Mottinelli – in the sense that it is convenient for some companies to sell their drugs abroad, where they are paid more». Hence the appeal to the government to introduce “a rule at least on drugs produced in Italy”.
Actions
Meanwhile, “everyone must do their part”. For their part, Brescian pharmacists can count on some precious tools. To begin with, the Pharmacy Operators Cooperative is concerned with distributing stocks as fairly as possible. Secondly, through the «Search for a drug» service of Federfarma, the pharmacies are online and collaborate with each other so that if one runs out of a product, another can make it available to respond to citizens’ requests. Finally, every pharmacy can produce galenic preparations: «Some are more organized and specialized than others for this purpose, but also in this case there is maximum collaboration», testifies Mottinelli.
This is confirmed by Dr. Elena Pelizzari, director of the historic Benaco pharmacy in Salò, connected to the former Spedali Civili in via Einaudi in Brescia (the latter equipped with a large laboratory), who recalls, among other things, how pharmacies are at the forefront of anti-flu vaccination campaign: “From December 15 – he recalls – it is free for all adults, and there is still time, considering that the peak will continue until after the Epiphany”.
In addition to ibuprofen, Pelizzari in turn detects the lack of certain antibiotics for children (which however «are found with different volumes») e aerosol products particularly useful for fighting a flu that attacks the upper airways.
citizens and hospitals
As for the citizens, the president Mottinelli hopes that they are informed about the alternative products to the drugs requested in the first instance: “This too is one of our tasks”. In short, the solutions, despite being temporary, are there: «Nobody is left without the product they need», guarantees Mottinelli, thus inviting us not to rush to stock up on them.
And the situation is also under control in hospitals: in the Civil and Poliambulanza, whose general manager Alessandro Triboldi declares a position of «alert due to a slowdown in the supply of some medicines (the same ones reported by citizens and pharmacists, ndr), which, however Hasn’t caused any problems so far».
- Read here the GdB on newsstands today
- Sign up for GdB newsletters. For all your interests, you can have a free newsletter to read comfortably in the email.
reserved reproduction © www.giornaledibrescia.it