A NUMBER of different medications are currently out of stock as a major health warning has been issued. Cancer drugs and antibiotics are just some of the 331 medicines that are out of stock in Irish pharmacies. There are also 273 classed as having medium-to-high patient impact by the medicine’s regulator.
These 273 drugs include antibiotics and treatments for high blood pressure, arthritis, allergies, epilepsy, ADHD and cancer. New research has shown that there is now one in three people who have been directly impacted by the medicine shortage over the last year. According to a poll by pharmaceutical supply-chain company Azure Pharmaceuticals, a third of people have said their prescription had to be changed due to the shortage.
Out of the 273 medicines that are out of stock, the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) does not have a generic equivalent. These medicines are also deemed to have medium-to-high impact and will require intervention by healthcare providers for the prescription to be changed. Forty per cent of people in the poll have said that shortages were getting worse while only 12 per cent said they saw an improvement.
Sandra Gannon, chief executive of Azure Pharmaceuticals, said: “This research demonstrates that medicine shortages continue to have a profound impact on Irish patients, pharmacists, and GPs. "We continue to wish this problem away; meanwhile neighbouring countries are taking proactive measures to mitigate and respond to this challenge. “.