Against the background of the increase in the number of infectious diseases, there is a shortage of antibiotics, especially “Penicillin” and “Amoxicillin”.
Publika.az “Financial Times” newspaper reported on this with reference to Lisa Hedman, the head of WHO’s drug supply and access group. According to Lisa Hedman, many countries are facing an acute shortage of penicillin antibiotics. For example, there is a shortage of “Amoxicillin” in the USA and Canada, and in the European Union, 25 out of 27 member countries have declared a shortage of some antibiotics. At the same time, Hedman noted that there is little information about the current situation in poorer countries. But it is clear that they could suffer more if their currency depreciates.
Health experts said drugmakers have reduced production due to reduced demand for antibiotics during the coronavirus pandemic and severe strain on supply chains. Also, pharmaceutical companies are unable to ramp up production due to supply and regulatory constraints. The article noted that there are difficulties in obtaining components, especially for the production of antibiotics. The increase in energy prices also causes a decrease in the profits of production enterprises.
“Countries did not expect respiratory infections to hit us so hard after the mask ban,” Hedman said of the reasons for the shortage.
According to the Financial Times, some US and European pharmacists have announced shortages of common painkillers such as paracetamol. The reason for this was the increase in demand for them against the background of the winter wave of influenza, respiratory syncytial virus and coronavirus. Against the background of all this, there is also a shortage of drugs for the treatment of diseases such as tuberculosis and skin infections.
Aytan Maftun
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