Is prescription drug supply hit by coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic?

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic took the world by surprise, forcing millions of people to stay locked in their houses while the health workers are risking their lives and working overtime just so that the world can go back to normal. However, normal before the pandemic and after it will never be the same.

There is no denying that the pandemic has affected all the areas of everyday life - companies had to switch to remote work, beauty salons and hairdressers have been closed for weeks now. Schools and universities stopped functioning a long time ago, with most of them switching to online learning.

In times like this, people have many questions - especially those who need prescription drugs, as the fear of not being able to obtain the needed medicine increases. One of the most frequently asked is whether the prescription drug supply is or will be affected by the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic? After all, even an online pharmacy has a limited stock.

Well, keep reading if you want to find out.

The beginning and China as the epicentre

Everything started in late November 2019, when the first cases of coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-19 were confirmed in Wuhan, a city in Hubei province in middle China. For a few months, the city was the epicentre of the illness. However, in the middle of January, it started to spread all over the country. Soon after, China has been declared as the epicentre of the then epidemic.

This caused havoc in the whole country, as many factories had to be shut down due to the quarantine of their workers, and fear of the virus starting to spread faster than it did. What did it mean for the drug supply? Well, since China is a primary source of many active ingredients that are used to produce prescribed drugs, the restrictions caused their manufacturing and export to decline.

Following suit after China, many countries have introduced export controls. Furthermore, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, India restricted the exports of APIs (active pharmaceutical ingredients) outside of the country. The restriction has been lifted on the 7th of April.

The shortage of drugs

As stated on the official website of the U. S. Food and Drug Administration: "the FDA has been closely monitoring the supply chain with the expectation that the COVID-19 outbreak would likely impact the medical product supply chain, including potential disruptions to supply or shortages of critical medical products in the U.S."

And indeed, on the 28th of February 2020, the institution announced the first case of drug shortage caused by the coronavirus, or rather by its impact on the manufacture of the drug's active ingredient. While it was not named, at the moment, we know that another drug is on shortage - it is midazolam, which is used to put patients under ventilation.

FDA also announced that 20 other drugs might also be vulnerable, however, they did not give away the names - the reason behind it is that they probably did not want to cause panic among the customers.

An analysis made by GlobalData revealed that due to the pandemic, and the restrictions that China and other countries implemented, the manufacture of more than 50 essential drugs is at risk. They vary from simple calcium supplements to medicine for cancer and HIV.

It is crucial to keep in mind that the drugs listed by GlobalData are not in shortage - usually, the companies producing them have two sources for manufacturing.

Effect on clinical trials

The supply chain is not the only one affected by the pandemic. Due to the restrictions, such as lockdown and social distancing, the clinical trials of investigational drugs that use similar plants as prescribed medicine have been affected as well.

Some companies have decided to either postpone or cancel their trials altogether. On the other hand, some of them are taking advantage of technology and performing the trials in a virtual way.

Available alternatives

What can you do if you go to a pharmacy with a prescription, and they tell you that they currently do not have the things that you need?

First of all, do not panic - remember that the pharmacists are there to help you. They will try to find the most accurate alternative, which will have no adverse effect on your health condition or body. After all, the major prescriptions usually have a long list of other options produced by different brands. You might also try your luck on the internet. By looking online ‘sleeping pills’ for example, you can search for pharmacies in your area that still have the product you need.

Final Thoughts

If you told someone at the beginning of 2019 that in a year the world will be in a lockdown fighting against a global pandemic, they would have probably laughed at you and said you were crazy. One year forward, and here we are.

The pandemic and the restriction implemented in many countries to prevent its spread have affected everything and everyone, including the prescription drug supply. While for now, the situation is under control, nobody knows how long the pandemic and the world's lockdown will last for. The only thing we can do is stay at home, hope for the best, and wait to see what the future holds for us and the whole world.