Wider problems of shortages in 2023 concentrated on a few products

In 2023 the Finnish Medicines Agency Fimea received 2,849 reports of problems of medicine shortages from pharmaceutical companies. In 2022 2,335 reports were received, and in 2021 the number was 1,710.

“Most of the problems are temporary and the product can be replaced by another similar medicinal product at the pharmacy,” says Timo Mauriala, Head of Unit at Fimea. 

In some cases, the lack of availability has affected a wider group of medicines and made it more difficult for patients to access them. Also, some pharmacies and prescribers have had to work extra hours due to the problems. 

Three groups of medicines affected by wider availability problems

In 2023, there were wider availability problems in three groups of medicines: semaglutide and other GLP1 agonists for diabetes, methylphenidate and lisdexamfetamine for ADHD, and dutasteride-tamsulosin for the treatment of prostatic hyperplasia.

The main focus was on the long-standing lack of availability of Ozempic (semaglutide). The pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk Farma Oy announced in late 2023 that problems of shortages will continue in 2024. Regular deliveries of the products to Finland are expected, but it is uncertain when supplies will be sufficient to fully meet the demand. 

In early 2023, increased demand due to seasonal winter infections and a lack of capacity in pharmaceutical production caused problems in the availability of amoxicillin and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid antibiotics in several European countries. 

“However, the availability problems in Finland did not pose the same challenges as elsewhere, as in Finland these medicinal products are subject to storage as mandatory reserve supplies,” says Mauriala. 

Ensuring the availability of medicinal products at the heart of the EU

In 2023, the EU launched a series of actions to improve the availability of medicines. 

The prevention of problems of shortages is taken very seriously in the EU. Some of the actions require longer preparation but, for example, the list of critical medicines, which is already the basis for concrete practical actions, was finalised and published in December,” says Mauriala.

The list of critical medicines currently includes 200 products that are widely used in the EU and European Economic Area (EEA). The EU pharmacovigilance network is prioritising action to strengthen the supply chains for these products.

Read more

The EU Joint Action project CHESSMEN has started (Fimea news 13.2.2023)

Commission steps up efforts to tackle critical shortage of medicines and improve security of supply in the EU (Fimea news 25.10.2023)

First version of the EU list of critical medicines published (Fimea news 12.12.2023)