There is a shortage of the drug Metformin, reports the Norwegian Medicines Agency. Last year, over 122,000 diabetics received the prescription drug.
The medicine is used to lower blood sugar in patients with type 2 diabetes. Medical director Steinar Madsen tells ‘Dagens Medisin’ that several pharmacies have run out of the medicine.
We get daily phone calls from worried patients wondering what to do. This is an unfortunate situation now in the middle of the summer holidays. There may potentially be many who are affected. It is impossible to specify exactly, but it can easily be thousands, he says to the site.
In connection with the situation, the Norwegian Medicines Agency has given limited permission to prescribing other medicines for type 2 diabetes. They describe the measure as an “emergency measure” limited to one prescription only, until the patient is returned to their original treatment.
The Norwegian Medicines Agency writes on their websites that they are working closely with manufacturers and wholesalers to obtain Metformin to Norway to reduce the problem as much as possible. They state that the shortage is expected to last until September 10.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
