With the pharmaceutical industry debt hitting USD3.5 billion, hindering medicines production in Venezuela and resulting in an increase in drug shortages, some patients have started consuming veterinary drugs, claims the country's Pharmaceutical Federation.
IHS Life Sciences perspective | |
Significance | Freddy Ceballos, the president of the Venezuelan Pharmaceutical Federation, has reported that some Venezuelan patients are taking veterinary drugs due to the chronic shortages of medicines. |
Implications | President Nicolás Maduro's government, which has not released official figures on the shortages since February 2014, denies claims that prednisone supplies ran out, saying a shipment of 1.2 million tablets arrived from Cuba last month. |
Outlook | International pharmaceutical companies have restated their commitment to increase medicine production in Venezuela. However, they have pointed out that unless they receive more supplies and foreign currency, production levels are unlikely to rise. |
Freddy Ceballos, the president of the Venezuelan Pharmaceutical Federation, has claimed that some patients have been told by their doctors to risk taking veterinary drugs due to the chronic shortages of medicines, reports local media sources.
The association claims patients who have had kidney transplants are being severely affected by shortages of medicines such as prednisone and Roche (Switzerland)'s immunosuppressant Cellcept (mycophenolate mofetil), which are essential for their treatment. Therefore, some doctors have suggested patients take, at their own risk, veterinary versions with the same active ingredient.
President Nicolás Maduro's government, which has not released official figures on the shortages since February 2014, denies that prednisone supplies ran out, saying a shipment of 1.2 million tablets arrived from Cuba last month. Additionally, Deputy Health Minister Henry Hernandez has stated that there is not a shortage of transplants medicines as the government has recently imported several drugs for transplant recipients.
However, the Venezuelan Medical Federation says patients are increasingly using the animal versions of antibiotics, steroids, and topical drugs for skin conditions.
Outlook and implications
The National Pharmaceutical Federation and the Association of Hospitals and Clinics have reported that there is a critical 60–70% shortage of essential medicines in Venezuela's healthcare system. Beyond the reports of these institutions, the fact that patients are reportedly using veterinary drugs demonstrates the crisis that the system is facing.
Despite the fact that there have not been any patient reports of side effects yet from animal prednisone, transplant experts have, understandably, warned that patients should not be using medicines that are not indicated for human prescription.
This situation is not only affecting medicines production, but supply of health services have also been negatively affected, with several hospitals having suspended essential services such as heart surgery, vaccinations, and chemotherapies. Furthermore, only half of the country's 33,000 hospital beds are in a usable condition, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG). Private clinics make up the shortfall, but they have no more than 7,000 beds.
International pharmaceutical companies have ratified their commitment to increase medicine production in Venezuela. However, they have pointed out that unless they receive more supplies and foreign currency, production levels are unlikely to rise. The industry is owed USD3.5 billion by the government that has only approved foreign currency and debt payment in modest amounts, which is considered insufficient to normalise medicine production.
Price controls and a multi-tier exchange rate that artificially props up the value of the bolivar currency have also strained supplies. For the pharmaceutical companies, which have seen their profits reduced in this market, there are several important facts that have clearly induced medicine shortages. The main one is that medicine prices have been frozen in Venezuela since 2003, which is compounded by difficulties in accessing foreign currency together with the lack of a serious payment plan for the USD3.5-billion debt owed to the pharma industry.
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