A shortage of 157 medicines was reported on the market of Bosnia and Herzegovina this year, some will not be available until the end of the year, and some have been permanently withdrawn from the market, the Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices of BiH told “Nezavisne Novine”.
According to them, the reasons for the shortage are the delay in production by the manufacturer, problems in the supply chain, the manufacturer’s decision not to renew the license, limited production capacities, reorganization of production and globally interrupted supply chains.
According to the data of the Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a shortage of 157 medicines was reported this year, of which more than 40 were in Bosnia and Herzegovina. market permanently.
“Among them are medicines for correcting high blood pressure, drug addiction, epilepsy, asthma, dizziness, depression, and liver diseases,” said the agency.
They add that interruptions in the supply of medicines can be permanent or temporary.
“When it comes to the permanent interruptions reported by producers (revocation of the license and failure to enter the license renewal procedure), they occur mainly for commercial reasons,” the Agency points out.
They explain that when it comes to temporary interruptions, they occur due to problems in the production process itself, due to changes in the production process, due to reorganization of production, due to problems in the procurement of raw materials, problems in the procurement of packaging materials, due to globally disrupted supply chains.
They point out that by looking at the reports of shortages, it cannot be said that it is about one group of medicines.
“On our market, a large number of drugs have so-called generic parallels, a drug with the same active substance from another manufacturer. Therefore, a supply interruption by one manufacturer does not mean the unavailability of a certain therapy,” said the Agency.
In one pharmacy in Banja Luka, they point out that some medicines are currently not available at all.
“We have substitute medicines for those who are missing, but the patients, mostly the elderly, do not agree to it. They look for the medicine prescribed for them, no other. Then they visit all the pharmacies, and when they are convinced that there is no solution, then they contact the doctor to take a substitute”, they said from this pharmacy.
The Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices of BiH previously told “Nezavisne novine” that they have no plans to change anything when it comes to medicine prices.
“In fact, we are witnessing increasing shortages of medicines in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and any reduction in prices could cause even greater shortages considering our small market, increasing shortages of active or auxiliary components, unsafe distribution of medicines and many other causes that lead to shortages,” Nataša Grubiša, director of the Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices of BiH, said earlier.
The members of the Association of Women Suffering from Breast Cancer “Iskra” from Banja Luka know the dizzying prices of medicines and medical devices in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“The medicines are the most expensive in the region, unfortunately, and they are not available. Most people are not able to buy them if they are not on the list. There are long waiting lists and people are forced to buy elsewhere – whoever can,” said Verica Tadić, secretary of “Iskra”, they write Independent.
