Antibiotic is the drug that is most lacking in SP, say pharmacists

For the second time in less than three months, professor Ana Elisa dos Santos, 36, has faced, without success, a search in almost a dozen pharmacies looking for antibiotics for her children. The country is experiencing a blackout of medicines and medical supplies.

A survey carried out by the CRF-SP (Regional Council of Pharmacy of São Paulo) identified that antibiotics are among the medicines with the greatest scarcity in the market. Simple remedies classified as essential, such as amoxicillin and azithromycin, are the most lacking in pharmacies in São Paulo.

According to the survey, carried out with 1,152 pharmacists from all regions of the state, 98.5% of professionals said they suffered from a shortage of medicines. Among the categories that most report having difficulty buying are antibiotics (93.5%), mucolytics (76.5%), antiallergic (68.6%) and analgesics (60.5%).

The survey was conducted online between the 19th and 30th of May this year. However, the council says that shortages persist, with no prospect of actions to solve the problem.

This is the situation that Ana Elisa has faced for the second time. At the beginning of May, the youngest 5-year-old son had an ear infection and had to take azithromycin. It took her four days to find the medicine.

Now, he goes through the pharmacies again looking for the same medication for his eldest son, 7 years old, who has pharyngitis. “The first time I thought it was a sporadic shortage due to the onset of autumn and an increase in respiratory illnesses in children. I am shocked to hear that the problem continues.”

Another survey, carried out by the CFF (Federal Council of Pharmacy), also identified that 97.4% of health professionals had problems with the shortage of essential medicines.

The survey was carried out between June 21 and 26 this year with 883 doctors, pharmacists, nurses and administrators of health units from all units of the Federation.

“We have been asking for solutions to the problem for months and nothing has changed. There is also no forecast of change in the short term. Meanwhile, the population is experiencing an unprecedented situation of lack of essential medicines”, says Luciana Canetto, vice president of the CRF- SP

Medicines that are in short supply in pharmacies and health units in the country are listed in the Rename (National List of Essential Medicines), made by the Ministry of Health.

The ministry says that the shortage of medicines is the result of “several global causes that go beyond” its competence. To the entities, the ministry has said that the problem is the difficulty in importing the raw material of medicines, which was impacted by the war in Ukraine, the closing of ports in China as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and the rise in the dollar.

About 95% of the inputs to produce medicines in Brazil, including IFA (Ingredient Farmacêutico Ativo), come from China and India.

Canetto says that the entities have been warning for years about the risks of the country not having a policy that strengthens the autonomy of the pharmaceutical industry and that would avoid the shortages currently experienced.

“We are very dependent on the import of raw material and we are vulnerable to these external issues. Brazil has the technology to produce the API, but they did not provide financial conditions for this production. With this policy, the industry was held hostage to imports”, he says.

In a note, the Ministry of Health said to articulate with Anvisa measures to combat the problem and that “works without measuring efforts to keep the health network supplied with all medicines offered by the SUS”.

One of the actions that the ministry says it has already adopted was to release criteria for establishing or adjusting prices for drugs at risk of shortages in the market. Another was to reduce the import tax on inputs for some medicines, such as dipyrone and neostigmine.

“These measures mitigated part of the problem, as it frees manufacturers to sell some drugs for the maximum value. So, the consumer returns to find some drugs, such as dipyrone, more easily, but at a higher price”, says Canetto.