THE Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia (SHPA) has warned of a looming health crisis for palliative care patients of all ages as well as those with chronic pain, cancer and other conditions requiring effective pain control with critical acute pain medications in dire shortage.
Key health bodies including Palliative Care Australia (PCA), the Australian & New Zealand Society for Palliative Medicine, SHPA and Palliative Care Nurses Australia have written to the Federal Health Minister Mark Butler detailing their concerns around forecast medicine shortages and reduced access to necessary and vital pain relief.
The joint letter to Butler puts forward several actions to address the risks to the community and reduce the impact of these decisions now and in the future.
"This is a serious risk for all Australians requiring management of serious pain," cautioned CEO of PCA Camilla Rowland.
"These discontinuations and shortages threaten the safe delivery of quality care for vulnerable patients like young children and those with a cancer diagnosis.
"Not to mention the tremendous anxiety these announcements continue to cause clinicians, patients, and carers."
"The cost of alternatives sourced from overseas to replace locally registered medicines is almost always higher, and this can be a barrier for many people and health services," Rowland added.
SHPA President Tom Simpson explained, "the cost of alternatives sourced from overseas to replace locally registered medicines is almost always higher, and this can be a barrier for many people and health services.
"There is no guarantee that the alternative product will be subsidised by PBS either which can easily quadruple the cost of the discontinued Australian-registered product," he commented.
"Working with our partners in the TGA's Medicines Shortage Action Group and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee we have been able to move the dial, but action is now required at the highest levels of govt to ensure the most vulnerable members of our community can access their human right to care and quality of life," said Rowland.
"We stand ready to play our part in finding solutions to ensure no patient in need goes without."
Earlier this year, pharma company Mundipharma announced it was removing liquid morphine Ordine from the Australian market.
In late Oct, the company flagged that another nine products containing morphine or oxycodone would be discontinued over the coming 18 months including OxyNorm caps, MS Mono caps, and Sevredol tabs. JG
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 12 Dec 23
To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 12 Dec 23
