540 medicines are currently not available from us – there is great concern in the country. Even if this affects ‘only’ a fraction of all medicines. Doctors advise against self-dosing anyway if there is no medication. This is life-threatening.
Already at the end of September, the “Krone” warned for the first time about bottlenecks in the supply of medicines (see facsimile below).
Citizens feel the bottleneck
And the situation in Austrian pharmacies has not improved since then – on the contrary: at the beginning of January, the Ministry of Health publicly announced on its website that approximately 540 medicines in the country are currently not available or only available in very limited quantities. What many citizens have felt about their own bodies on their way to the pharmacy in recent weeks.
Experts are trying to calm down
However, experts are trying to calm the general concern. And this on the basis of bare figures: because according to them, the current supply bottleneck affects “only” about three percent of all about 15,000 medicines approved in Austria. According to doctors, there are currently “only” shortages of cortisone substances and some types of antibiotics (especially penicillin).
The main reasons for the bottlenecks: higher demand for certain medicines than in the Corona lockdown years, problems in obtaining active ingredients due to political developments (keyword: export bans) or supply bottlenecks for packaging materials.
Strong wave of infection in the coming weeks
In the home hospitals there is no cause for concern (yet), but in the case of general practitioners and for the treatment of actually harmless infectious diseases it may become more problematic in the near future. Because even if the current drug situation is “stable” according to the Ministry of Health, neutral experts agree: it is not possible to assess how the drug situation will develop in the coming weeks or months due to the current strong wave of infections in the country.
Virologist Prof. Norbert Nowotny is also relatively critical of the current shortage of antibiotics in pharmacies. Since the medicines always have to be ordered by pharmacists a whole year in advance, apparently too little care has been taken to store antibiotics due to the Corona crisis.
No self-dosing!
What to do if you no longer have the medicines you are used to at home? For example, paracetamol and ibuprofen fever juices if children have a fever. Sometimes you read on forums and social media that tablets or suppositories with the same active ingredient but a higher dose for children can simply be halved. Self-dosing is strongly discouraged. “Touching medicines at the kitchen table is life-threatening. I strongly advise against it to anyone,” said Dr. Peter Voitl Pediatrician in Vienna-Donaustadt.
And he adds: “The tablets have a film coating to protect them from stomach acid. Split tablets are easy to digest and do not work. In addition, active ingredients are not always evenly distributed in preparations. Then an overdose can occur. In many cases, pharmacies can offer alternative preparations or process existing preparations so that they are suitable for children,” explains Voitl.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
