Health: Lauterbach: More stable supply of children’s medicines

Health
Lauterbach: More stable supply situation with children’s medicines

Painkillers for children, among other things, were in short supply during the last waves of infections in winter. photo

© Hendrik Schmidt/dpa

The typical cold season is coming soon. Many families still remember how difficult some medicines were for children to obtain in the winter of 2022.

Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach sees a more stable supply of children’s medicines this autumn and winter, but also appeals to parents’ solidarity. Thanks to increases in production by manufacturers, we are now significantly better positioned than in the previous year, said the SPD politician after a conversation with representatives of pharmacies, doctors and the pharmaceutical industry in Berlin.

In his opinion, if the coming wave of infections is not much stronger than usual, the problem will be able to be mastered. “We can only do that if common sense is the order of the day.” And that means: “Please don’t panic buy.”

Last winter, after a wave of infections, delivery problems for fever and cough syrups for children escalated. In order to secure supplies, an anti-bottleneck law came into force in July. However, the focus now is primarily on short-term precautions. As it was said after the conversation, pharmacies should, among other things, be able to change the dosage form more easily, for example from drops to tablets, without having to consult a doctor or a new prescription. A weekly steering committee is to be set up in the ministry to monitor and react more quickly in the autumn and winter.

dpa

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