NPSA urges more action

THE National Pharmaceutical Services Association (NPSA) has warned that despite improvements in legislation designed to manage medicine shortages (PD 12 Sep), patients continue to be placed at risk because of “loopholes in the supply chain” for pharmaceuticals.

The peak wholesaler body welcomed the passage of the Therapeutic Goods Amendment (2018 Measures No. 1) Bill 2018 because it will help doctors and pharmacists minimise the impact on patients in the event of medicine shortages.

“More action is needed, however, to extinguish avoidable risks,” said NPSA chairman Mark Hooper, ceo of Sigma Pharmaceuticals.

“Exclusive direct supply from manufacturers to pharmacies creates a dangerous dependency on sole distribution for the medicines they carry, with no redundancy of supply.

“If there is a supply interruption, for whatever reason, then patients would potentially be denied access to their medication,” Hooper said.

He noted the high standards for availability of PBS items under the Community Service Obligation (CSO).

“If one CSO distributor cannot supply a drug, another is available to meet the shortfall...that system works when every PBS medicine is available to every CSO distributor,” Hooper said.

The NPSA urged the government to “take the logical next step in managing medicine shortages and plug this regulatory loophole by ensuring all PBS listed medicines are made available to CSO distributors at equivalent prices”.