The drug shortage does not stop with palliative care either. Doctors today increasingly have to deviate from standard therapy in order to treat the terminally ill. Affected are medicines for severe pain and shortness of breath, as well as specialties to treat infections.
Low-dose opioid patches, which are mainly used in children, are also practically unavailable at the moment. In general, palliative care physicians observe a shortage of opioids. These are indispensable for effective therapy for severe pain, said Eva Katharina Masel, head of MedUni Vienna’s Division of Palliative Medicine. They can also relieve other common symptoms, such as shortness of breath.
Again and again, decongestant nasal drops for children, inhalation solutions and antipyretics are in short supply. “In recent weeks, there have been significant and precarious shortages of antibiotics, especially in juice form for children,” says specialist Martina Kronberger-Vollnhofer. She and her colleagues from the Austrian Palliative Care Association (OPG) called on those responsible on Wednesday to put security of supply above market interests. Another bottleneck is expected in the coming autumn.
Austrian manufacturers could close gaps
Austrian manufacturers could close supply gaps, it said. In the past, however, “they preferred to rely on producers in countries with low production costs and prices continued to be pushed down,” criticized OPG chairman Dietmar Weixler.
Aid organization Doctors Without Borders joined this criticism. The pharmaceutical industry would no longer provide what patients around the world need in terms of research, development, production and sales. “Wrong incentive systems” “only increase investment in highly profitable new drugs,” said Marcus Bachmann, MSF adviser.
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.
