Delivery bottlenecks for medicines remain acute. The problem was exacerbated in winter by the many infections that were rampant at the same time. There are delivery problems, especially with antibiotics.
Currently, having a prescription does not mean that you will actually receive the prescribed drug. Antibiotics and antibiotic juices for children are most urgently needed, says Susanne Ergott-Badawi, Vice President of the Vienna Chamber of Pharmacists. When someone comes to the pharmacy with a prescription, they first check whether the drug is actually available and whether there is an alternative. “If there is no solution, then we will consult with the doctor,” says Ergott-Badawi.
“Difficult situation” for wholesalers
Andreas Windischbauer, President of the Association of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers, speaks of an absolute shortage of antibiotics. The situation continued to worsen. “It’s always the same: an important product is available again, but then two others come back on the list that are not available. We will certainly have an extremely difficult situation in the first quarter until the end of March, until the infection process ends,” says Windischbauer.
Shipment note:
Vienna today, January 21, 2023
The delivery schedules do not indicate that the manufacturers will soon be delivering more. “We are now trying very hard in Europe to secure contingents in other countries. It’s a Europe-wide problem, but not all countries are equally affected,” said Windischbauer. You can help yourself with small imports, but not to the required extent.