Medicine shortage including antibiotics worsens: Australia

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
10 Jan 14:28

Pharmacies in Australia are also witnessing a shortage of liquid alternatives for children.

Pharmacists are on alert as supply interruptions unfold for liquid amoxicillin. (Reuters)

Medical organizations and pharmacists in Australia have warned that a national scarcity of medicines, particularly popular antibiotics, is worsening, with some pharmacists being forced to turn tablets into liquid substitutes for children.

On this issue, Pharmacy Guild NSW Vice President Adele Tahan said on Tuesday that antibiotics are in short supply in Australian pharmacies due to logistical challenges with supplies from abroad.

“There are quite a significant number of antibiotics that are in short supply and they will remain so for quite some time," Tahan told ABC News Australian broadcaster.

"We have to rely on worldwide supply and unfortunately the situation right now is that we're waiting for the antibiotics to become available," Tahan added.

Simultaneously, some doctors are now pushing the federal government to invest in local industrial development as a long-term solution to global supply chain concerns.

Aside from disrupted supply chains, the expert claims that falling antibiotics prices in Australia have made the country's market less appealing to international manufacturers.

"Australia's not an attractive place for medicines to come to us. The American market is a massive market and the prices charged in America are much higher than what we can charge in Australia. It makes us the last country for medicine to come here," she added.

It is worth noting that the Financial Times reported, citing the WHO, that several US and European pharmacists reported a scarcity of popular pain relievers, such as paracetamol, due to increased demand induced by a high number of seasonal diseases. Furthermore, they observed a global shortage of antibiotics such as penicillin and amoxicillin.

According to healthcare specialists, the lower demand for antibiotics and the economic downturn forced manufacturers to reduce drug production during the COVID-19 epidemic. Companies are unable to scale up output in the first winter without limitations in two years due to challenging supply chains, rising energy prices, and numerous laws.