Europe plans to stockpile drugs amid medicines shortages as flu crisis worsens

As influenza continues to rage though Europe, Nurofen, Amoxicillin, Dioralyte, and five types of Benylin cough syrup are among the medicines in short supply in Ireland. Picture: iStock

The European Commission is planning to stockpile drugs, with over 200 medicines unavailable to Irish patients, amid warnings from the HSE that flu numbers will continue to rise.

Irish patients are now unable to get more than 200 medicines, up from 187 before Christmas, as a mixture of high demand and supply-line problems collide.