Medicines dry up in heat of summer
Pharmacist groups raised alarm bells yesterday over a drop in the availability of vital medicines in the market, claims which the state drugs board (EOF) immediately rejected by saying there is no evidence of a drug shortage in the country. The pharmacist group of Athens and Piraeus threatened yesterday to take legal action against parties responsible for the alleged shortage, which they say has left some seriously ill people without proper medical attention. The pharmacists claim that the amount of medicine that can be stockpiled is limited, a problem worsened by difficult procedural requirements imposed by drug companies. Meanwhile exports are continuing, they pointed out. Pharmacists sent out an appeal to all government ministries to help solve a problem that the National Pharmaceutical Organization (EOF) says does not exist. «In checking the information at hand, it can be seen that pharmacists have sufficient amounts of medicines based on monthly sales declarations and stockpiles,» EOF said.
