70 years of PHAGO: How Austria's pharmaceutical supply is saved!

70 years of PHAGO: How Austria's pharmaceutical supply is saved!

Laimgrubengasse 10, 1060 Wien, Österreich - Problem of drugs in Austria is under pressure, because the entire industry is exposed to enormous challenges. According to Phage , the association of five wholesalers who are responsible for the safe supply of medicines, over 80 % of this supply of Austrian companies is secured. In total, these wholesalers deliver more than 220 million packs to all pharmacies in the country every year. Despite this high performance, the sector faces a serious clamp: the remuneration for around two thirds of the packs delivered is less than one euro. This remuneration system, which has been unchanged for two decades, is increasingly problematic due to rising costs and inflation.

delivery bottlenecks and lack of personnel

At the same time, a report by HCM-Magazin for alarm, as more and recently, are not available several times over long periods of time. These bottlenecks arise due to production difficulties from manufacturers and a falling number of active clinic pharmacies, which has been decreasing steadily since 2010. In addition, the persistent shortage of skilled workers in the health industry means that the existing resources are more stressed with at the same time growing requirements. It is obvious: the industry urgently needs new strategies and truly indispensable collaborations to maintain the supply.

The challenges also include increasing regulatory requirements, which are tightened by laws such as criticism and NIS2. These rules aim to ensure IT security and thus the stability of the health infrastructure. The clinics and pharmacies are therefore forced to introduce strict measures for the documentation and production of medicinal products. The situation is further complicated by the increasing specialization of pharmaceutical therapies, but also proves the urgent need for innovative approaches to ensure that the drug is available.