Pharmaceutical warehouses: Do we threaten a medication bottleneck?
Pharmaceutical warehouses: Do we threaten a medication bottleneck?
Österreich - On April 21, 2025, a new prescription for pharmaceutical supply in Austria comes into force. This measure aims to increase the national inventory of critical medication in order to be able to react better to bottlenecks and emergencies. According to OTS In the future, pharmaceutical companies will have to store certain medicines in a sufficient amount for Austrian needs. However, 36 were removed from the originally 721 -listed preparations because they are no longer on the market. In addition, medicines were deleted with paracetamol or ibuprofen active ingredients, since in these cases no supply restrictions have occurred.
A total of around 600 medication falls under the new warehouse obligation. The reactions from the industry are mixed. The Austrian Generic Association expresses massive criticism of the regulation, since the generic manufacturers already work with 80 to 100 percent occupancy. It remains unclear how the production volume can be increased despite this full utilization.
criticism of the regulation
companies threaten fines if the warehouse obligations are not fulfilled. This could significantly jeopardize the supply mandate, since countries with stricter obligations may be preferred, which disadvantages other countries. An example is France, where penalties of 8 million euros were imposed in September 2024 because 30 out of 5,000 listed medication were not in stock. The generic group warns against tightening the competition for medication.
The introduction of these compulsory camp also leads to additional costs and investments that are difficult to represent for many companies. Andiel, a representative of the association, fears that there could be distribution conflicts and new bottlenecks. The EU itself sees this compulsory camp critically. The “Critical Medicines Act” therefore calls for proportionality, transparency and solidarity in the supply of drugs.
background of the bottlenecks
The causes of the existing bottlenecks in the pharmaceutical supply are diverse. In addition to increasing production costs and falling prices, the shift in active ingredient production to low -wage countries is also an essential factor. The Austrian Generic Association therefore urgently calls for reforms of the price and reimbursement regulations to ensure a sustainable improvement in care.
In cooperation with the EU health programs, such as "EU4Health", Member States are working to improve the availability of medication in Europe. DetailsOrt Österreich Quellen
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