Drug shortages: Stock shortages or risks of sharply rising shortages in 2023

Drug supply difficulties in France have worsened further in 2023, with close to 5,000 reports of stock shortages and risks of shortages, according to a report from the Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM) published on Friday.

ANSM recorded a total of 4,925 declarations last year, compared to 3,761 in 2022, an increase of 30.9%. These reports more than doubled (+128%) from the 2,160 reports received in 2021.

The same drug may be the subject of multiple reports from distributors during the same year, ANSM recalls in its press release.

If “we are talking about all classes of drugs,” the agency emphasizes, “drugs for the cardiovascular system, drugs for the nervous system, anti-infective and anti-cancer drugs are more specifically represented.”

The problem has been recurring for several years and affects many countries. Its causes are numerous: “Difficulties arising in the production of raw materials or finished products, quality defects in medicines, insufficient production capacity, fragmentation of production stages, etc.,” lists ANSM.

Population aging

Added to this is the growing need for medicines amid an aging population. For the most common antibiotic, amoxicillin, ANSM noted “a gradual improvement in supply over several weeks” from pharmacies and wholesale distributors “across the territory, particularly for pediatric presentations.”

However, players in the medicines chain (manufacturers, depositories, wholesale distributors, community and hospital pharmacists) are urged to continue their efforts and “expect supplies now to ensure that needs are covered at the end of this winter season.”

However, for other antibiotics “such as azithromycin and pediatric cefpodoxime”, the situation has become more fragile and manufacturers have also been asked to clear their stocks, adds ANSM.

This fall, all stakeholders committed to a Best Practice Charter for Medicines Availability Data Sharing under the auspices of ANSM.