TGA report highlights meds shortages

DETAILS highlighted in the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s first annual medicines shortages report since mandatory reporting was introduced last year confirm what pharmacists have been saying for a long time, Pharmacy Guild of Australia Victorian Branch President, Anthony Tassone says.

The report revealed 1,797 new shortages were reported in 2019, up 290% on 2018, with 1,415 products affected.

Manufacturing issues were the primary cause of shortages (47%), while commercial changes accounted for 18% and an unexpected increase in demand was the reason behind 13% of shortages.

Of the products reported in 2019, 9% were classified as being of critical impact to patients.

“The findings of the TGA shortages report confirms what community pharmacists have been saying for a long while, things are not improving when it comes to out of stocks and if anything it’s getting worse,” he said.

“Whilst the mandatory reporting regime for manufacturers of critical shortages was a step in the right direction, it was just a first step.

“We urgently need the medicine shortage working group and key stakeholders to look at what can be done to address this worsening situation.

“Questions such as: should there be an ongoing supply guarantee for medications to be able to have a PBS listing? And, what are the unintended consequences of ongoing price reductions with PBS reform? Is Australia no longer a viable market compared to other overseas countries?

“Pharmacists can’t be expected to continue to pull the proverbial ‘rabbit out of the hat’ to ensure patients have continuity of supply in these unprecedented challenging times.

“If we don’t recognise there is a major problem we can’t expect to be able to find a solution and it will be patients that miss out.”