Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - According to a media report, the pharmacists' association complains about a widespread shortage of medicines in North Rhine-Westphalia. "Of the 100 million prescriptions that are submitted to pharmacies in North Rhine-Westphalia every year, almost every second one is now affected by a bottleneck," said the head of the North Rhine-Westphalia Association of Pharmacists, Thomas Preis, of the "Rheinische Post" (Monday). Sometimes the drug doesn't exist at all, sometimes not in the prescribed dosage or dosage form.
According to Preis, this also has the consequence: "The manufacturer of a paracetamol juice for children is now delivering packs to Germany that are actually intended for the Ukraine, have a Ukrainian design and a Ukrainian package insert."
According to the newspaper, general practitioners are also alarmed: "The bottlenecks affect various blood pressure medications, painkillers, psychotropic drugs and antibiotics. Certain juices are not available, which particularly affects small children who cannot swallow pills," said the head of the North Rhine General Practitioners Association, Oliver Funken . "We demand that drug production be relocated to the Schengen area."
There have recently been delivery bottlenecks for off-patent medicines such as fever syrups for children, but also for preparations for adults such as antibiotics and cancer medicines. In order to avoid this in the future, the Federal Ministry of Health plans to introduce new rules for stocks as a safety buffer.
