The stock of lancing devices against allergic reactions at Belgian pharmacists is shrinking. Moreover, it would not be possible to order such an EpiPen from the drug distributors. This confirms Febelco, the largest Belgian distributor of medicines.
Febelco supplies more than 3,200 pharmacies in our country. In concrete terms, this concerns two reference medicines that serve as lancing devices, says CEO Olivier Delaere. EpiPen is used in acute life-threatening allergic reactions to, for example, peanuts, nuts and medicines, but also an insect sting or bite.
The stock of the first reference medicine was already empty on 4 August. “In July, Febelco noticed a strong increase in the number of orders for that drug, but that is due to the fact that the competitor sold out even faster,” explains Delaere.
Sold out within a week
There is still some stock of the second reference medicine available, but it is expected to be sold out within a week. According to the producers, there would be stock again on August 22. “But that is not 100 percent certain,” says Delaere.
According to Febelco, the cause of the problem is said to be at the production site. The drug distributor has seen an increase in the number of production problems, especially in recent months. Febelco therefore fears that there are still difficult months and years ahead. Shortages could be prevented if governments allowed parallel imports, it sounds.
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