More than 400 medications are in low supply in Australia, where there is a general shortage of medications.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration’s (TGA) drug shortage database currently lists 424 medications, at least 20 of which are at severely low levels.
Benzathine Penicillin, an antibiotic used to treat upper respiratory tract infections, Ritalin, an antidepressant, and fluoxetine are among the medications that are currently in low supply.
Australia has not been able to obtain Ordine, an oral morphine liquid used to treat severe pain, since February.
The TGA has attributed the shortages to COVID-19 and brief localised outages.
Since vulnerable patients were the ones most affected, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) encouraged the federal government to take more action on Thursday.
RACP President Professor Jennifer Martin stated, “Government needs a better strategy to redirect existing critical medicines supplies within the country to priority groups and patients.”
“Current methods frequently become extremely challenging for both patients and doctors, and they urgently need to be modified. “With varied degrees of success, physicians are left to navigate the maze without a compass in order to find and source substitutes for complex patients.”
“This can leave patients with the same health conditions in dramatically different positions and is a major national health equity concern.”
