The alarm, even in Italy, of the shortage of some drugs has turned into a real assault on the counter. According to Aifa, the Italian Medicines Agency, it has published its annual list of medicines that are difficult to find and – as at 3 January 2023 – the total stands at 3,198, growing by 66 units compared to the December survey (in which it was 3,132). The most commonly known names on the list are Moment, Neo Borocillina, Nurofen and Spididol, mainly antiviral or anti-inflammatories and antibiotics.
No to the rush to the pharmacies
In half of the cases, as the agency explains, it is a question of a cessation of drugs, which can therefore be replaced with others available to the pharmacy. In 46% of cases, however, a real lack. Tachipirina, Efferalgan, Tachifludec and Amoxicillin are also added to the list. Despite the obvious difficulty, FederFarma, the national federation of Italian pharmacy owners, specified that this is not a health emergency but a simple slowdown due to the interweaving of several factors: from complications related to Covid and the flu, to the production of the drugs themselves. Above all, the institution has invited consumers not to rush to the points of sale to create stocks with the risk of aggravating the situation. There are solutions to contain the complication and remedy the deficiencies.
Because there is a shortage of medicines
The active ingredient that is most difficult to trace is ibuprofen in syrup – so Marco Cossolo, president of Federfarma, explains the reasons behind the shortage of certain drugs -, but what is not lacking are alternatives and valid solutions. At a national level, there is an increase in consumption linked on the one hand to the spread of an influenza with heavier symptoms than in the past and on the other also to Covid, which in 90% of cases it is treated at home with anti-inflammatories. The same medicines are required for both pathologies and the demand leads us to grow dramatically. The offer struggles to keep up also due to the international situation which also affects this sector. First of all, the relocation of some drugs to China and India has made importation more problematic – adds the president of FederFarma -, because they are countries currently in full lockdown and this slows down production. Furthermore, the energy crisis and the rise in prices are forcing a lengthening of the supply chain: Just think of the increase in fuel: trucks don’t leave to deliver the goods unless they are full. The shortage of raw materials, linked to the conflict in Ukraine, also affects the slowdown in the delivery of medicines, as there are no plastic, paper and glass for packaging.
The alternatives to the missing medicines
The solutions, however, are not lacking. Taking into account the active ingredient, the pharmacist can very well recommend an equivalent medicine, specifying form and dosage, which the patient can take without problems, continues Cossolo. Working on measurement could also be a valid alternative. For example, if ibuprofen 600 not temporarily available, three doses of 200 can be added. As for the syrup version, the most deficient, it is a problem above all in pediatric preparations, since capsules and tablets cannot be given to children – concludes Cossolo -, but this too can be remedied by preparing the preparation in galenic laboratories, which many Italian pharmacies are now equipped with.