The medical supply must be guaranteed in Switzerland. A citizens’ committee made up of doctors, pharmacists and druggists in particular kicked off a popular initiative on Friday. According to him, it is urgent to act for the safety of the population.
The initiative “Yes to the security of medical supply” intends to act once morest the shortage of important medicines and medical equipment. Currently, around 1000 different products are missing in Switzerland. The Covid-19 pandemic also revealed that important equipment was sometimes no longer available for laboratories.
These problems are mainly due to the massive pressure exerted for years on drug prices, according to the initiative committee. These products might no longer be produced in Switzerland or in European countries. The production of common products such as antibiotics has moved to Asia, particularly India and China.
But even in normal times, the companies concerned are not reliable suppliers. It is therefore urgent to act, because the safety of the population is threatened. The Confederation has taken measures, but this is not enough. “We have been waiting for concrete decisions for three years,” recalled Nicolas Lutz, president of the Association of Independent Pharmacy Groups.
Liability of the Confederation
To improve supply, the text aims to create a federal jurisdiction instead of the 26 cantonal authorities. He also wants to strengthen Switzerland’s economic position, whether in terms of research, development and production. Finally, it calls for the establishment of reliable logistics chains with foreign countries.
For the initiators, the medical goods sector must be regulated at federal level, because patient safety is at stake. Research and production in Switzerland must benefit from favorable framework conditions in order for this area to become attractive once more.
It also involves improving the storage of medical products in order to avoid bottlenecks in the supply. And Switzerland must also be able to count on reliable foreign producers not only in times of crisis but also in normal times.
“The initiative aims to launch public discussion, raise awareness of the risk of shortages and show that the situation is becoming really serious”, according to Nicolas Lutz. It is clear that the solution must come from a public-private partnership. The public authorities must work with the players in the field. “This is not a pharma initiative at all.”
At the origin of this initiative is a broad alliance of 16 associations and organizations from the medical profession, pharmacists, druggists, medical laboratories, pharmaceutical industry and logistics organizations, consumer protection organizations and scientific research circles. The collection of signatures will formally begin on April 4.
Task Force
The drug shortage is not new. But the situation has clearly worsened as a result of Covid-19. In Switzerland, companies are struggling to meet the demand for antibiotics.
This situation prompted the country’s Economic Supply a month ago to completely release the mandatory reserves for oral products. The measure was intended to allow a better supply of the market. But the Confederation warned that the market would remain tight.
The AEP judges since February the situation “problematic” on the front of the therapeutic products. A task force has been set up to assess short-term solutions. Longer term measures are also under consideration. They aim above all to detect disturbances more quickly.
This article has been published automatically. Source: ats