When Europe’s medicines supply chain comes under strain, community pharmacists are often the first to feel the impact. At a Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU) event in the European Parliament, speakers agreed on a single message: tackling shortages requires structural fixes, not just crisis management.
Pharmacists described the daily reality of supply gaps, saying they are “on the front lines,” ensuring patients can continue treatment even when usual medicines are unavailable. Shortages demand complex, case-by-case interventions, with pharmacists spending significantly more time managing disruptions.
Patients bear the greatest burden. Ancel·la Santos, Head of Health at BEUC, warned that shortages cause “anxiety [and] distress,” treatment interruptions, switches to less suitable therapies, medication errors, and…
