Pharmacies Warn: Severe Shortage of Many Medicines

Pharmacies and and health insurance funds are warning of a severe shortage of dozens of medicines, including Paracetamol! Among the missing drugs: Ritalin, treatments for heart and blood vessels issues, and drugs for the treatment of skin problems.

Some general pharmacies are now supplying Dexamol instead of Paracetamol due to fear of shortages. The Pharmacists Association says that the Health Ministry has been warned several times in recent weeks about the shortage - but has not yet resolved the matter.

"We are talking about a shortage of tens to hundreds of medicines," says David Pepo, chairman of the Histadrut. "There are many other medicines that are in short supply or are currently missing from pharmacies. Drug prices and drug stocks in Israel are determined by the Health Ministry and the entire issue is under the supervision of the Health Ministry. We have been dealing with a shortage of medicines for three years now, since the outbreak of the Corona epidemic. I personally spoke with the senior officials at the Health Ministry. Everyone is aware of the problem and the matter and gives us the standard answers, but the situation is only getting worse.

"Every day we receive an email or a message about more and more drug shortages, and it doesn't seem like it's going to be resolved soon. The phenomenon is across the board in terms of companies, all of them have supply problems. It's not a matter of a particular company ".

The Health Ministry response: "From an inspection with Teva, there is no shortage of paracetamol, but only a temporary shortage of paracetamol capsules, while there is a stock of paracetamol tablets on the shelf. It should be noted that in terms of clinical response, there is no difference between tablets and capsules and they meet the same indications. According to the information provided by Teva, during the week the inventory of the capsules is expected to be replenished.

"Announcements by pharmaceutical companies regarding marketing interruptions and drug shortages are published on the Health Ministry website. For all of the drugs in question (Muscol, Nexin, Etofen, and Strepsils) there are medical alternatives and it is the pharmacist's responsibility to offer them to patients. In the case of prescription drugs, it is the responsibility of the attending physician at the health fund to write a prescription for the medications that are in stock.

"Regarding some of the drugs mentioned, it turns out that the drug companies only informed the Health Ministry about the shortages at the last minute, and the responsibility for ensuring that the drugs are in stock rests with the companies."

The Teva company responded that there have been many problems with the supply of raw materials and packaging, as part of a global crisis arising from the Corona epidemic, and a shortage of professional and qualified labor, which many companies in the industry here and abroad are facing. They said "Recently we have been experiencing delays in logistics supplies that are expected to be resolved as soon as possible. Out of a commitment to the health of the patients, we are working day and night, and making every possible effort - while prioritizing the production of essential and life-saving drugs - to deal with the shortages and ensure the return of the drugs to the market as quickly as possible."

The company also said there is no shortage of Paracetamol tablets. "Acetaminophen can be obtained at any given moment in the form of tablets. Starting today, the capsules are also back in stock and in the coming days they will be delivered to pharmacies."

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