Export ban on insulin and antibiotics extended for another month

Bulgaria’s caretaker Minister of Health, Dr. Galya Kondeva, on October 22, 2024, issued a new order banning the export of insulins and analogues and other blood sugar-lowering drugs. The document is published on the website of the Ministry of Health.

The ban is aimed to ensure that the Bulgarian pharmaceutical market is supplied with enough medicines to meet the needs of the population.

After analysis of data from the Executive Agency for Medicines, regional health inspectorates and the National Health Insurance Fund, there is evidence of irregular deliveries/delays or refusals from the warehouses of wholesalers for insulins and antibiotics from the group with the international non-proprietary name Amoxicillin, clavulanic acid and Azithromycin in powder for oral suspension and granules for oral suspension dosage forms, as well as A10BK 'Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors' - medicines with the international non-proprietary name Dapagliflozin and Empagliflozin.

For the medicines in the 'Insulins and analogues' group, it is clearly noticeable that four of the insulins have irregular delivery or delivery of less quantity or delayed delivery in about or more than 50% of all districts in the country. The other four drugs in the group were reported to be in short supply at or above 30% of all districts in the country.

For the drugs in the Insulins and Analogues group, it is clearly noticeable that four of the insulins have irregular supply or supply of less quantity or delayed supply in about or more than 50% of all districts in the country. The other four drugs in the group were reported to be in short supply at or above 30% of all districts in the country.

After review and analysis of the information received, it was found that the greatest delays, irregularity in supply, including refusal from wholesalers' warehouses occurred for Amoxicillin, clavulanic acid drug products - eight drug products out of 19 had reports of supply difficulties. Nearly 32% of the districts in the country reported refusal and/or irregular supply of one of these eight medicinal products, while 14% of the districts had delays or refusal of three medicinal products in different concentrations of the active substance. In the case of medicines with the international non-proprietary name Azithromycin, supply bottlenecks and/or refusals from wholesalers' warehouses were reported in 21 % of the districts in the country.

The first insulin export ban order came into force on 2 November 2023. It also banned the export of antibiotics intended for systemic use in childhood.