2024-10-09 03:23:35
The shortage of medicines in Germany is getting worse: hundreds of medicines are currently not available. Saline solution is also becoming scarce.
Painkillers, fever reducers, certain antibiotics or cough syrups: There are currently delivery problems with almost 500 medications. This emerges from the database of the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM), in which manufacturers enter supply bottlenecks for supply-critical drugs.
Medical saline solutions are now also affected by the existing delivery bottlenecks. The North Rhine Pharmacists’ Association has pointed this out. “What has been a big problem in clinics for months is now also affecting outpatients. There is currently far too little saline solution,” said the head of the North Rhine Pharmacists Association, Thomas Preis, to the “Rheinische Post”. The solutions are needed in hospitals for infusions and irrigation during operations.
“Saline solutions only cost a few cents to produce, but are irreplaceable in patient care. That’s why such supply bottlenecks shouldn’t actually occur.”
Thomas Preis on the “Rheinische Post”
The North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry of Health confirmed the information to the newspaper: “In the last few weeks, clinics, including university clinics, have approached the ministry because they are having great problems in obtaining a sufficient supply of sterile saline solution. Accordingly, the clinics in North Rhine-Westphalia and Germany has only been supplied with around 80 percent of its requirements for months, and recently only around 50 percent.”
The managing director of the North Rhine-Westphalia Hospital Association (KGNW), Matthias Blum, said: “The shortage of saline rinsing solutions has been bothering hospitals for a long time. Since June, we have drawn attention to this several times and warned that operations must be postponed.” Despite the current quota of delivery quantities, any risk to patients can be ruled out due to the commitment of the hospitals, he emphasized.
“It’s usually a little better at the beginning of the month because new quotas can then be called up, but there are still bottlenecks, especially at the end of the month.” In hospitals, the only option is often to adjust the requested quantities of individual departments in order to be able to supply all departments continuously. “Hospitals are pinning their hopes on reports that there may be relief by the end of the year.”
The Federal Ministry of Health in Berlin emphasized that the delivery bottleneck does not mean a supply bottleneck because there are alternatives to the product. Equivalent products would be used as replacements or imported, although sometimes with a time delay.
The BfArM assured that “indications of supply bottlenecks for isotonic saline solution for rinsing (medical product) and for infusion solution (drugs)” will be closely evaluated. In addition, additional production capacity is being set up in Germany. “We are working hard to get this fully operational as soon as possible,” said a BfArM spokesman when asked by the “Rheinische Post”.