AMMAN
— Citizens are complaining of frequent interruptions in the supply
of certain
medicines in the Kingdom, forcing them to resort to alternative
medicines that they consider less effective.
اضافة اعلان
Pharmacist
Ayat Odeh told
Jordan News that when medicines are not available,
patients begin to feel anxious and tend to go to numerous pharmacies in hopes
that the outage only applies to a specific pharmacy.
This
is especially the case for patients with heart and nervous-system diseases. For
example, Jordan’s supply of the drug Tegretol, an anticonvulsant medication
used in the treatment of epilepsy and neuropathic pain, has been repeatedly
interrupted in February, March, and April, causing anxiety and distress among
patients who use it.
Actions to resupply TegretolThe
Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) told
Jordan News that the
interruption of the Tegretol CR tablet was due to a delay in supply from the
manufacturer.
The
administration confirmed that it had contacted the agent for this drug, the
Jordan Drugstore, and received confirmation that it would be available in the
local markets during the coming week.
“Our warehouses used to keep a reserve stock sufficient for three to four months, but the high demand for this drug caused a shortage.”
The JFDA added it will work to speed up the process of importing Tegretol, in
addition to providing alternatives to create a secure supply through local
companies or agents of international pharmaceutical companies.
Pharmacist and Director of Operations at the Jordan Drugstore Rana Al-Kayed
told
Jordan News that Tegretol will be available week. “Our
warehouses used to keep a reserve stock sufficient for three to four months, but the high demand
for this drug caused a shortage.”
Kayed
stressed that most medicines are available and have alternatives, but medicines
for the nervous system and heart diseases are unique in that patients and
doctors tend to depend on a single drug.
Why
do supply interruptions occur?Dr
Zaid Al-Kilani, a pharmacist, said the supply of such medicines should not be
interrupted.
Usually,
the reason for a shortage of a given medicine is a low market price that is not
in line with that of the manufacturing company, as the JFDA controls drug
prices in the Kingdom.
“The discontinuation of a drug such as Tegretol is catastrophic, and must be addressed urgently.”
Another
reason is that the manufacturing site could change which requires
re-registration of the drug, causing it to be delayed in reaching the market,
he said.
Additionally,
high freight rates and the
Russian-Ukrainian war have had a significant impact
on supply chains, as well as increased global demand for certain medicines.
“The
discontinuation of a drug such as Tegretol is catastrophic, and must be
addressed urgently,” Kilani told
Jordan News.
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