The cold and flu wave and the many corona infections are currently causing supply bottlenecks, including for medicines. Antipyretics for children are in short supply in pharmacies – and according to the manufacturer Ratiopharm, that will remain the case for the time being. But there is a solution for concerned parents.
In many places in Germany, parents are complaining about difficulties in getting antipyretics for their children – and the producer of the Ratiopharm brand gives no hope for improvement: orders for juices with the active ingredient ibuprofen as well as suppositories and effervescent tablets with paracetamol can unfortunately not be fulfilled by the Teva company “Said a spokeswoman for the editorial network Germany. “Unfortunately, we are currently unable to provide any information as to when these can be delivered again.”
The spokeswoman said it was working flat out to make the products available for the market again. Teva currently has “no stocks”. According to the newspaper report, the company is the main supplier of fever juices with the active ingredient paracetamol with the Ratiopharm brand. The spokeswoman explained that the delivery bottlenecks were due to an unexpectedly large increase in demand due to the cold and flu epidemic. In addition, delivery delays by the active ingredient manufacturers exacerbated the situation. Corona-related staff shortages also played a role. “Unfortunately, further developments are currently difficult to predict.”
The Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) published a statement on the problem. “In connection with the currently limited availability of fever juices for children with the active ingredients paracetamol and ibuprofen, the BfArM has carried out extensive research and tests, which, in addition to the withdrawal of a market participant, also indicate a distribution problem,” the authority explained.
The “quantities of goods sold in direct sales or via the full-service wholesale trade” represented “the previous average requirement”, the BfArM further explained. In the current year, however, the demand for the drugs concerned has risen disproportionately. “The reasons for this have not yet been satisfactorily determined.”
In coordination with the National Association of Health Insurance Funds (GKV) and the Association of Pharmacies ABDA, “as a compensation measure” reference is made to the possibility of pharmacies mixing the fever and painkillers themselves. A doctor’s prescription is required for this, explained the BfArM. The National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds (GKV-Spitzenverband) will “strongly recommend that the health insurance companies reimburse the recipes to the pharmacies during the period of the supply bottleneck”.
