Health authorities will revoke licenses for violations leading to unavailability of medicines

Unavailability of medicines in pharmacies across the country. There is a shortage of over 40 antibiotics, fever-reducing and inhalation medicines for children are also hard to find. There is a shortage of antibiotics almost all over Europe, the caretaker health minister said on January 6. Emergency supplies are expected for Bulgaria next week. Checks in pharmacies and wholesale warehouses are on-going. Licences will be revoked for serious breaches.

The amounts of antibiotics in pharmacies have been declining in the recent 2 months. Some groups that are used for treatment of children are almost exhausted.

Master pharmacist Margarita Grozdanova - member of the Board of the Bulgarian pharmaceutical union: "Semi-synthetic penicillins cannot be found in any form for both children and adults. Second and third generation cephalosporins are also not available. The situation is most serious for children. I don't see how and with what they can be treated if they get complications from the flu. Antibiotics of the groups I have mentioned cannot be found in any of the large warehouses."

Pharmacies are left with single units of these antibiotics.

Nikolay Kostov - Chairman of the Association of Pharmacy Owners: "It depends on how importers will react. If they dare to import and compensate for this deficit, then there may be no problems. But when I look at it, the problem is just getting worse every day."

There are antibiotic shortages across Europe, the caretaker health minister explained.

"Many of the substances that are used for the production of medicines in Europe and worldwide come from China and India and that is where the shortage is coming from."

The Ministry of Health has asked for help from Bulgarian drug manufacturers. It has also negotiated emergency parallel imports of antibiotics.

Assen Medzhidiev - caretaker minister of health: "We have information about most of the medicines that they have been agreed and at the beginning of next week the Ministry of Health will arrange to bring in additional quantities to refill pharmacies."

At the end of last year, emergency quantities of two inhalation preparations for children arrived. However, they are currently not available in pharmacies again.

Nikolina Dyankova - manager of a pharmacy in Varna: "She tells us every time we are looking for supplies in 5-10 days and so on. They are delivered, but the quantities are small".

Assen Medzhidiev - caretaker Minister of Health: 'We have planned to receive 20,000 units every 10 days in January. I am talking about Pulmicort and Ventolin".

Officials of the Regional Health Inspectorates have undertaken inspections in wholesale warehouses and pharmacies. The health minister urged people not to overstock on antibiotics. He pledged that all the life-sustaining drugs that are in short supply in the pharmacies will be made available within a short time.