AUSTRALIA'S medicines supply chain is showing signs of "stress and strain", says Pharmacy Guild executive director David Quilty, who has confirmed that Health Minister Greg Hunt has tasked his departmental officials to come up with a Medicines Shortage Strategy.
Writing in Forefront, Quilty said the increasing rate of medicine shortages and recalls were "symptomatic of a system that is faltering", particularly with some manufacturers choosing to bypass wholesalers committed to the Community Service Obligation.
He cited the recent move by AstraZeneca to go direct with a number of higher priced medicines (PD 31 Oct 2017), while Pfizer has also had a direct distribution model for some years.
And the situation looks set to worsen, with PharmaDispatch today reporting that Amgen has also decided to direct supply its Prolia (denosumab) biologic osteoporosis treatment via DHL.
Quilty highlighted that the main objective of the National Medicines Policy was to provide "timely access to the medicines that Australians need, at a cost individuals and the community can afford".
He said the proposed Medicines Shortage Strategy should include the early provision of necessary information for pharmacists and prescribers about shortages, as well as communications about the availability of alternative therapies.
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