Filenews 4 July 2024 - by Marilena Panayi
Doctors and pharmacists struggle daily to meet patients' needs in the best possible way, while the Health Insurance Organization, Pharmaceutical Services and the Purchasing and Procurement Directorate of the Ministry of Health are fighting daily against shortages of medicines, temporary or permanent, short or long-lasting.
The list of GHS deficiencies includes 91 medicines, of which 33 concern shortages recorded in 2023 and 58 concern shortages recorded in 2024, while another 37 (some of which are known and widely used) were removed after marketing authorisation holders did not proceed with the renewal of their licenses, in most cases, because the size of the Cypriot market is small and unprofitable for manufacturers.
On the positive side, 26 medicines that were in shortage in the previous period, were again included in the list of Pharmaceutical Products of the GHS after new quantities were imported into Cyprus.
In good news, for most of the drugs that have a problem, Cyprus has other equivalent (generic) formulations or other preparations belonging to the same category and doctors can use them for most of their patients.
In detail and according to the list already sent to doctors and pharmacists:
> 91 medicines are in short supply in the Cypriot market in 2023 – 2024. For some of them, there are stocks in some pharmacies and therefore the execution of prescriptions continues, for some, although there are stocks and prescriptions are allowed, their re-prescription is not allowed, while some have been removed from the GHS list since there are no stocks.
> For 60 of the 91 formulations in the GHS CPP, there are other available, corresponding medicines (or medicines of the same category).
> For those medicines that do not have options and the shortage is considered serious, the procedures for securing them were initiated by the Directorate of Purchasing and Supplies of the Ministry of Health.
> Of the 91 drugs, only 14 are labelled as "not serious".
It is reported that with the securing of new quantities from the GOP, these medicines also return to the list of medicines of the GHS and their prescription by doctors or the re-execution of prescriptions without replacement with another available medicine resumes.
Further:
> 37 medicines are withdrawn from the Cyprus market. Among them are well-known brands of antibiotics and other painkillers.
> For 30 out of 37 formulations in Cyprus, other corresponding medicines and/or medicines of the same category are available and available through the GHS. Therefore, there is no question of covering patients.
> For the remaining 7 formulations for which there are no alternatives, the procedures for securing them have been promoted by the Ministry of Health. New quantities of some of these drugs have already been imported into Cyprus.
> The shortage of 15 out of 37 medicines is classified as 'serious'.
Finally, 26 medicines have been placed back on the GHS list and their prescription has already begun.
It is reported that the majority of shortages are due to the inability of importing companies to import new quantities into Cyprus, either due to reduced production by manufacturers, or due to shortages observed internationally or throughout Europe and the Cypriot market, due to its size, is considered unprofitable and is not in the first priority or for other reasons.
In statements to "F", the senior officer of the Health Insurance Organization Gnossia Achniotou said that the deficiencies observed in Cyprus and especially in the General Health System are manageable, stressing that the competent services act, most of the time, with the necessary speed and fill the gaps where and where they occur And at the same time, the Cypriot pharmaceutical industry offers security, since Cypriot medicines cover to a great extent the needs of the population, in medicines that in other countries, in recent years, have significant shortages.
"In general, the shortcomings in the GHS are under control and compared to what is happening across Europe, Cyprus is one of the countries that does not face serious problems despite its small size. The continuous monitoring of the phenomenon by the competent authorities (HIO and the Ministry of Health), the good cooperation between all parties involved (competent authorities, pharmacists, doctors and representatives of pharmaceutical companies in Cyprus) as well as the existence of the Cypriot pharmaceutical industry play a role in this," Achniotou said.
Medicines for Cyprus trapped in Greece
The 37 medicines whose marketing authorisations in Cyprus have not been renewed include two medicines which the Cypriot importer has ensured through a company in Greece. Thousands of packages of these two drugs, however, have been trapped in Greece for a few weeks now, after the country's National Organization for Medicines has banned exports. It is a powerful analgesic (Palexia) administered to patients with severe pain versus opioid preparations and the second for ophthalmological use (Saflutan).
