363 types of medicine have been unavailable across Belgium in the past 30 days, either temporarily or permanently. These figures, collected by PharmaStatus, reveal a growing shortage of drugs in the country.
PharmaStatus, an organisation managed by the Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (FAMHP), collects information on the availability of medicines in Belgium. On Tuesday, the outlook on Belgium's stocks of numerous supplies was alarming.
Besides the drugs that were completely unavailable over the past 30 days, PharmaStatus told De Standaard that 1,239 medicines are currently in short supply. Their findings echo the concern recently expressed by Belgium's Health Minister, which led him to limit exports of Belgian medicine in the event of their unavailability.
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Olivier Delaere, head of Belgium's largest distributor of pharmaceutical products Febelco, attributed the shortages to cost-cutting moves by pharmaceutical companies, for whom it is unprofitable to keep large supplies in case of urgent need. These companies also prioritise selling to larger EU27 nations.
However, the FAMHP countered the notion that shortages are becoming more acute. A spokesperson for the organisation stated that "since the introduction of PharmaStatus in 2019, drug shortages in Belgium have decreased from 5% to 3.5%." They highlighted that alternatives have always been made available.
