How have medicine shortages impacted your healthcare experience?
Have you been to a pharmacy and been told that your medicine isn’t available? Shortages of everything from antibiotics to common painkillers are a growing problem in Switzerland along with many other countries.
Solutions are now being discussed in Switzerland and elsewhere including early warning systems, stockpiling, subsidising generic production, and even nationalising some companies.
What has your experience been with medicine shortages and what do you think should be done about them? Join the discussion and let us know!
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Why Switzerland is running out of pharmaceuticals
Hello, I am a Colombian citizen and in my country the shortage of medicines has had a great impact on the users of the health system. In the case of the COVID 19 pandemic, there were many deaths due to the non-application of pharmacological treatment, the state excused itself with the lack of a vaccine and the possibility of producing one. The shortage of medicines is also seen seasonally and when this happens, the users have to travel two to three times to claim their medicines.
Hola, yo soy ciudadano colombiano y en mi paìs la escacez de medicamentos se ha visto con gran afectaciòn para los usuarios del sistema de salud. En el caso de la pandemia por COVID 19 se vio que hubo muchas muertes por la no aplicaciòn del tratamiento farmacològico, el estado se excuso con la falta de la vacuna y de las posibilidades de producir una. Tambièn se ve la escacez de medicamentos por temporadas y cuando eso ocurre los usuarios debemos viajar dos hasta tres veces para reclamar su medicamentos.
THE GLOBAL PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY :
The policies of the pharmaceutical industry cannot be analysed in isolation.
It must be pointed out then that their overall objective is to accumulate wealth, because medicines and other derivatives of this industry are commodities, and they need to turn patients or people into their customers. The majority of this industry is located in the Global North.
This mission drift means that the most affected are the people in the Global South who, because of their socio-economic conditions, are vulnerable to such policies because governments have no R&D budget.
These facts accompanied by the Corzo Patents for the Global South, force us to consume at high costs the same medicines that the EU has ridiculously low prices compared to our countries. One of these countries is Panama, where the most expensive medicines in Latin America are sold, and in addition, medicines for orphan and catastrophic diseases are not within the reach of the population and the health system delays in acquiring them because they are not registered with the regulatory body. This complicates and puts the lives of hundreds of people at risk. All these facts lead us to a market of usury and speculation.
In summary, the Pharmaceutical Industry of these times has similarities in its exploitation and profits to that of illicit drugs in most of the countries of the Global South and the distance from the spirit for which it was conceived to fulfil a Social Mission for the good of Humanity.
Yours sincerely ,
The QF -Panama
LA INDUSTRIA FARMACÉUTICA GLOBAL :
Las políticas de la Industria farmacéutica , No se pueden analizar aisladamente .
Debe señalarse entonces que su objetivo global es acumular riqueza , porque los medicamentos y otros derivados de esta Industria son mercancía , y necesitan por tanto convertir al paciente ó las personas en sus clientes .La mayoría de esta Industria se encuentra el Norte Global.
Esta desviación misional hace que los más afectados son los habitantes del Sur Global que por sus condiciones socio-economicas son vulnerables a dichas políticas porque los gobiernos no tienen presupuesto para la I+D .
Estos hechos acompañados de las Patentes de Corzo para el Sur Global , nos obligan a consumir a altos costos los mismo medicamentos que EU tienen precios irrisorios comparados con nuestros países. Siendo uno de ellos Panamá donde se venden los medicamentos más caros de LATAM y adicionalmente los medicamentos para enfermedades Huérfanas y Catastróficas no están al alcance de la Población y el Sistema de Salud demora en adquirirlos porque no están registrados ante el Órgano Regulador . Lo que complica y pone en riesgo la vida de un Centenar de personas. Todos estos hechos nos llevan a un mercado de la Usura y de especulación campante .
En resumen la Industria Farmacéutica de estos tiempos tiene similitudes en su explotación y ganancias a la de las drogas Ilícitas en la mayoría de los países del Sur Global y la distancia del espíritu para la cual fue concebida de cumplir una Misión Social en bien de la Humanidad .
Atentamente ,
El QF -Panamá
The subject is now almost exhausted. If there is a shortage, it is simply due to the fact that pharmaceuticals are hostage to business and if a drug does not yield, production is discontinued. In our country there is an abundance of everything, of treatment, of supply, of drugs and of pharmacies. We have become inhuman and can no longer give up anything. There are billions of people who do not even have basic medicines.
Il tema è ormai quasi esaurito. Se c'è una carenza, questa è semplicemente dovuta al fatto che la farmaceutica è ostaggio del business e se un farmaco non rende, la produzione è dismessa. Nel nostro paese c'è una abbondanza di tutto, di cure, di offerta, di farmaci e di farmacie. Siamo diventati disumani e non riusciamo più a rinunciare a nulla. Ci sono miliardi di persone che nemmeno hanno i farmaci di base.
Well said: I approve!
Ben detto: approvo!
I have never encountered any drug shortages in Switzerland, although I take several every day.
There was only one case where a certain sleeping pill was in short supply, but within a short time the problem was solved by the same pharmacy.
It does not seem to me that the problem, if it exists at all, gives cause for concern so far.
Non ho mai riscontrato alcuna carenza d farmaci in Svizzera, sebbene ne assuma diversi ogni giorno.
Ci fu un solo caso ove un certo sonnifero scarseggiava, ma in poco tempo il problema fu risolto dalla stessa farmacia.
Non mi sembra affatto che il problema, semmai esista, desti finora preoccupazione.
I faced a similar problem, but usually stockpile medicine which I take regularly. This is a serious problem because can affect life or health. It does not take much that people start dying because of too late or too little medicine.
Thank you for sharing your experience. It can indeed be a serious problem if a medicine is delayed or unavailable.
Let's not exaggerate: they even 'start dying' for lack of drugs! It's not like we are in deepest Africa. There is a network of interconnections between the various pharmacies so the medicine will turn up sooner or later. What is important is that we keep a strong pharmaceutical industry in Switzerland (!) so that they do not relocate abroad.
Non esageriamo: addirittura "inizino a morire" per mancanza di farmaci! Mica siamo nell'Africa profonda. C'è una rete di interconnessione fra le varie farmacie per cui il farmaco, prima o poi salta fuori. Importante è che manteniamo una forte industria farmaceutica in Svizzera (!) in modo da evitare la loro delocalizzazione all'estero.
Thanks for sharing your perspective. I know several people who have been affected by shortages in Switzerland but fortunately, pharmacists have been able to find solutions before it becomes serious. It can be quite frustrating and worrying for patients and pharmacists though. You make a good point about keeping a strong pharmaceutical industry in Switzerland. What do you think will keep them from relocating (or at least production of key medicine) abroad?
I live with a donor organ since 2004 and am dependent on immunosuppressants and other medications. Fortunately, in Switzerland all medications were easy to obtain and always available.
How about a new subject??? Boring as hell...
Thanks for your comment - what subjects would you suggest / would you like to see put up for debate?
Indeed: media hysteria!
Infatti: isteria mediatica!
I have a long-term chronic disease that requires a variety of medication. I am very pleased with Swiss healthcare and the availability of medicine. I am from a country with no universal healthcare, and I can say with certainty that I would likely die much sooner in my home country.
I have had to wait a day or two for specific, expensive medicine at times, but have always received medication within days. However, antibiotics, NSAIDs, and other common medicines are all readily available every time.
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