Because there is still a lack of juices containing antibiotics for children, Bavaria is extending the possibility of importing them more easily from abroad. The responsible governments of Upper Bavaria and Upper Franconia have extended their respective general decrees until April 30, 2024, announced the Bavarian Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU) on Sunday in Munich. This would give pharmacies and pharmaceutical wholesalers the opportunity to stock up on foreign antibiotic children’s juices before the next wave of winter infections, in order to prevent possible supply bottlenecks in autumn and winter, said Holetschek.
Since the federal government has officially identified a shortage of juices for children containing antibiotics, the competent state authorities can deviate from the requirements of the Medicines Act (Arzneimittelgesetz, AMG) in individual cases and for a limited period of time. Since May 3, 2023, pharmacies and pharmaceutical wholesalers in Bavaria have been able to import juices for children containing antibiotics that are not actually approved or registered in Germany. However, they may be lawfully marketed in the country from which they are imported.
Holetschek again called on the federal government to initiate sustainable measures to stabilize the supply of medicines. The federal government has already taken the first steps with a recently submitted draft law, but these are not enough. “If we want to guarantee the supply, then we need a lot more research and development as well as production in Germany and Europe,” said the Bavarian Minister of Health. The pharmaceutical location Germany must become attractive again. It is also important to stabilize supply chains.