Strong increase in drug shortages this year
Drug shortages in Norway have increased dramatically over the past two years.In just one year, 356 reports ofshortages were received.
According to NRK news, 2016 was already a record year for the number of medicinal deficiencies. There were 191 cases of missing medications. On the last day of 2017, statistics showed almost a doubling.
‘It’s a sharp increase,’ said Steinar Madsen, Director of Medicines at the Medicines Agency.
At worst, the patients don’t receive the necessary medicine.
Then the solution is that the Medicines Agency and the drug wholesalers collect similar medicine from abroad, according to Madsen. He pointed out that he doesn’t believe any patients had missed vital medicine in the past year.
‘But there were cases where it could have been serious if we hadn’t been able to find alternatives,’ he said.
One of the reasons for the large increase in the lack of medicines was that several drug manufacturers moved their production to countries far from Europe,’ said the Senior Vice President.
© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today
