Department of Health insists there is no need to worry about medicines shortages

When non-prescription medicines are included, 60% of people were hit by shortages in the past year, research found. Picture: Pexels

The Department of Health has insisted there is no need to worry about medicine shortages, with “numerous alternatives” available for those listed as in short supply.

A survey on Monday found 44% of patients have experienced shortages of prescription medicine in pharmacies. 

Amárach Research also found when non-prescription medicines are included, 60% of people were hit by shortages in the past year.

However, a Government spokesman said: “The Department of Health would like to assure members of the public concerned by medicines shortages that there are numerous alternatives available to ensure continuity of care.” 

The survey and associated comments from the chief executive of Azure Pharmaceuticals, which commissioned the survey, focused on 289 products on the State’s medicines shortages list.

“With respect to the various commonly-used medications listed in today’s press coverage that have been notified to the Health Products Regulatory Authority [HPRA], where a patient has any disruption to their routine branded supply, continuity of treatment can be assured through the use of alternative products,” a Department of Health spokesman said.

Individual brands or strengths of a medication may be temporarily unavailable, but for the vast majority of medicines there are appropriate substitutions such as different strengths, brands or similar classes of medicines.” 

Azure Pharmaceuticals blamed the shortages on diminishing margins for generic medicines and over-reliance on single-sourced medicines, combined with other countries paying higher prices.

The department spokesman said the HSE takes continuity of supply into account when setting prices and these are set at the average price paid by 14 European countries.

Suppliers who find it uneconomical to continue supplying a medicine can apply to the HSE for a price increase, he said.

“Currently 36 medicines are the subject of a price increase application, less than 0.01% of all reimbursed items,” he said.

Generics, biosimilar and hybrids are priced at a percentage reduction (45-60%) of the average prices for new on-patent medicines.

The department and HPRA have previously said medicines shortages are not a uniquely Irish problem, and there are work programmes at EU levels seeking to address and prevent shortages.

Analysis of data reported by the pharmaceutical industry to HPRA over a number of years shows that the majority of shortages here are caused by manufacturing delays, echoing what is happening in Europe, the department has said.