Still told to 'get over it, it's done.

Allira

^The EU’s endless drug shortage, its fragile supply chains and the bizarre crab connection^
ING 2023

Despite a renewed focus on health in a post-pandemic world, the European Union is still suffering from critical medicine shortages.
This exposes a glaring inefficiency in the single market, but it also presents an opportunity. The bloc must become stronger, more resilient, and boost its public health systems.
The Parliament
February 2025

Medicines shortages have become a complex global issue, putting lives at risk and creating difficulties for health care professionals. There is evidence that these shortages are worsening with time and have been reported in countries of all income levels. They occur across all healthcare settings and involve essential life-saving medicines, very commonly used medicines and both high- and low-price medicines
FIP 2024 (International Pharmaceutical Association)

It seems to be an ongoing problem.

Yes, it is a worldwide problem. Which is why Brexit is making it much worse for an commercially isolated UK.

Jon Danzig is a specialist in the field, and of course he is anti-Brexit- as he has studied some of the worst effects.

Flat earth comments are so ridiculous.

😂
Told you! There's even a song as well as all the maps.

If you travel by ship, do you ever feel yourself going over a curve? No.

If your read the article carefully, you will see that he quotes research by several groups in the field. Do you believe he has made those up?

Flat earth comments are so ridiculous

.

Allira

^Flat earth comments are so ridiculous^

.

Don’t worry.
Constant reiteration of the same information is also ridiculous, and doesn’t change anything any more than saying the Earth is flat.

There is plenty of evidence to be found with a little bit of research. This article is from Pulse, may 2024.

''Ongoing medicines shortages are causing extra workload including for GPs who are having to provide advice about alternatives, a report said.

Daily battles with medicines shortages are putting patient health at risk and should be ‘ringing alarm bells’, pharmacy leaders warned.

Community Pharmacy England said medicines supply issues were now ‘beyond critical’ with many reporting they are dealing with several different shortages every day.

In a survey of 6,100 pharmacy owners, and 2,000 frontline pharmacy staff, 79% said patient health was being put at risk by medicines supply disruption.

Almost all staff said medicines shortages are worse than this time last year with 72% reporting facing multiple issues a day.

One pharmacist responding to the survey gave the example of a patient prescribed a different brand of epilepsy medication due to their usual drug being out of stock but that was then ‘ineffective in controlling their epilepsy’.

The vast majority reported it was becoming more frequent to have to issue part of prescription and owing the rest which would need to be collected at a later time.

In addition to patient frustration and extra workload for staff, the survey also highlighted the regular need for discussion or communication with GP practices about alternatives.

The CPE report noted that hundreds of different drugs have become hard or impossible to obtain.

Last month a report from the Nuffield Trust concluded that regular shortages of life-saving medicines had become the new normal in the UK.

While issues with supply chains were a global problem, Brexit had made the problem harder for the UK to tackle, it found.

Over the past 12 months, Pulse has reported shortages of medicines for diabetes, ADHD, epilepsy, menopause and scabies, as well as antibiotics.

In some cases, GPs have been asked to proactively contact some patients to discuss switching to an alternative – including those with type 2 diabetes taking glucagon like peptide-1 receptor agonists.

Janet Morrison, CPE chief executive said: ‘As these survey findings highlight, the medicine supply challenges are beyond critical. For pharmacies, ensuring everyone can access the medicines they need has become an ongoing battle, putting immense pressures on pharmacy teams and businesses. ''

It has become a constant nightmare for hospitals, GPs and pharmacists to try and find some drugs, and alternatives if necessary.

Allira

^The EU’s endless drug shortage, its fragile supply chains and the bizarre crab connection^
ING 2023

Despite a renewed focus on health in a post-pandemic world, the European Union is still suffering from critical medicine shortages.
This exposes a glaring inefficiency in the single market, but it also presents an opportunity. The bloc must become stronger, more resilient, and boost its public health systems.
The Parliament
February 2025

Medicines shortages have become a complex global issue, putting lives at risk and creating difficulties for health care professionals. There is evidence that these shortages are worsening with time and have been reported in countries of all income levels. They occur across all healthcare settings and involve essential life-saving medicines, very commonly used medicines and both high- and low-price medicines
FIP 2024 (International Pharmaceutical Association)

It seems to be an ongoing problem.

So given that the EU is ‘suffering from critical medicine shortages’ why does Danzig conclude that the UK must rejoin the EU?

Perhaps he thinks the UK is the answer to all the EU's problems?

The EU obviously isn’t the answer to the UK’s problems.

Losing the Medicines Agency to Amsterdam can’t have helped, though. Pre referendum we spoke to some people from the Conservatives party who worked for a pharmaceutical company who told us that the first thing the country would lose would be the Medicines Agency. And they were right.

This argument about medicine shortages, which is actually a global problem, being all about the UK no longer being in the EU bloc, is IMO like cutting off bits off a jigsaw piece in order to make it fit the puzzle.

Oreo

This argument about medicine shortages, which is actually a global problem, being all about the UK no longer being in the EU bloc, is IMO like cutting off bits off a jigsaw piece in order to make it fit the puzzle.

Not at all. No-one is arguing that the shortages are not global. Which makes being 'isolated' so much worse because of Brexit.

Simple supply and demands, and ease of Trade and Trade Agreeements, and to some extent, currency value and perception.

Why would companies choose to sell any goods, when there are shortages, to those who are not in your 'Trading Block'. Especially if it is costly to do all the paperwork and checks, + transport, and currency which is low in value and not stable.

In times of shortages, the shortest and easiest route, with the least red tape, and to your cooperative Trading Partners that will provide other goods- makes total sense.

Refusing to see this is IMO, just putting head in the sand.

Things are easing ( shortages) and in fact here in the UK is maybe not so bad as in some other countries.Most prescriptions for most people are being filled as normal.

I know you think all is terrible here Claremont and all in France is wonderful ( or is it Switzerland?) but really you know, it isn’t.The pandemic affected everything but as time goes by things get better and easier, and for most people in the UK life goes on much as it did before we left the EU trading bloc.😃

Oreo

I know you think all is terrible here Claremont and all in France is wonderful ( or is it Switzerland?) but really you know, it isn’t.The pandemic affected everything but as time goes by things get better and easier, and for most people in the UK life goes on much as it did before we left the EU trading bloc.😃

Yes, it’s a bit weird. Maybe I should be constantly going on about the shortage of doctors and medical staff in France.
Or repeatedly reporting about the desecration of wild life habitats in Madagascar.

We are here talking about the UK, and the fact that Brexit has isolated it from EU markets, at a real time of shortages.

The EU is suffering from critical medicine shortages - see above. So how would still being part of the EU help us in this respect?

Barleyfields

^The EU is suffering from critical medicine shortages^ - see above. So how would still being part of the EU help us in this respect?

It would make Claremont feel better if we were sharing ours with the EU.
I wonder if Brexit caused the shortage of medical staff in France?
Or did Brexit cause German people to go to Madagascar and contribute to the devastation of animal habitats?

Claremont

We are here talking about the UK, and the fact that Brexit has isolated it from EU markets, at a real time of shortages.

Do you mean that the EU would be better off if the UK was still a member?
I posted above about the shortages of medicines which is worldwide and the EU is suffering too.

I know there is a lot of medical research goes on in Switzerland, thankfully a medicine I take was developed there, but when they come off licence they can be manufactured anywhere and the price drops considerably when the cost of research has been covered.

Unfortunately for some people Claremont included the EU has been elevated so high that they cannot see over it.

Of course there is life after leaving the trading block, the U.K. was a member for many years we are still processing living outside of the block whilst dealing with President Putin in Ukraine, the aftermath of Covid, POTUS Trump along with then Europe wide immigration problem.

We have relatives in three EU countries, and I can assure you that everything is not rosey, the grass isn’t greener and they are struggling with similar issues to that of us here in the U.K.

Not at all. No-one is arguing that the shortages are not global. Which makes being 'isolated' so much worse because of Brexit.

Why isolated?

Trade agreements in force
As an independent trading nation, the UK now has 39 trade agreements in place with 73 partners. These agreements are in force for 72 partners. The UK signed an agreement with Comoros (12 April 2022) under the economic partnership agreement with Eastern and Southern African countries (ESA), and will be covered by this agreement when they bring it into effect domestically.

The EU has concluded over 40 agreements with over 70 countries and regions

But, Mollygo, as I understand it Claremont lives in and broadcasts to us from Switzerland which is outside the EU.

Indeed Barleyfields but she has family (grandchildren too) living in the UK and she worries about their future on this decimated island terribly.

Where I am is totally irrelevant to this discussion, 100%.

But I do know a bit about Switzerland- not in the EU but probably the only country ever to have managed to have a very strong agreement with the EU, be part of Schengen, and yet keep their Sovereignty and currency. It also produces a lot of the medicines the UK relies on, and with a very strong currency value.

We are talking here about the UK, and it's isolation from the EU markets and Big Pharm Producers.

But I do know a bit about Switzerland- not in the EU but probably the only country ever to have managed to have a very strong agreement with the EU, be part of Schengen, and yet keep their Sovereignty and currency. It also produces a lot of the medicines the UK relies on, and with a very strong currency value.

Oh good, a start to answering my questions 🙂
Thank you.

So - would Switzerland be better as part of the EU, do you think?

I do know that many pharmaceutical companies have their HQs in Switzerland and carry out research there.
The drugs are expensive until they come off licence, the research costs do have to be recovered first but the profits are huge.

In fact, profits in pharmaceuticals worldwide is enormous.