Medicine shortages
- Published: June 18, 2021
- Last updated: December 27, 2024
A medicine shortage occurs when a pharmaceutical company is unable to deliver a medicinal product (package) so that supply meets demand on a national level. The Swedish Medical Products Agency receives shortage notifications and publish the information in a Medicine shortages catalogue.
Search service for medicine shortages
The information is updated once a day.
E-service for reporting medicine shortages
Reporting, updating, and closing of shortage notifications is made by the market authorisation holder (MAH) or its local representative, using the Swedish Medical Products Agency (Swedish MPA) e-service (in Swedish).
What causes medicine shortages?
There may be many different reasons why a pharmaceutical company temporarily is unable to deliver a medicinal product. There may, for example, be problems in manufacturing, lack of active substance or an unexpectedly high demand for the product. A company may also decide to stop selling a product, temporarily or permanently. Finally, the company might decide to withdraw a product from the market.
During a shortage, various mitigation efforts are made by the Swedish MPA and other concerned parties to find solutions for both healthcare professionals and patients.
Medicine shortages, notifications and criticality
Medicine shortage
A medicine shortage occurs when the supply of the medicinal product that is authorised and placed on the market does not meet the demand at the national level.
Medicine shortage notification
A shortage notification from MAH or their local representative to the Swedish MPA notifies about an expected upcoming or ongoing shortage. This is the basis for the information published to the public and health care providers in the shortages catalogue.
Criticality of medicine shortages
A medicine shortage can have different degrees of impact; low, medium or high – depending on how the users may be affected.
Medicine shortages can also be considered critical by the Swedish MPA. This applies if:
- the medicinal product is an integral part of the treatment or prevention of a disease, which is life-threatening or irreversibly progressive, or without which the public and animal health could be severely harmed,
- or, in the case of veterinary medicinal products, a product may be classified as critical where its non-availability may have a negative impact on disease control programs or threaten sustainability of livestock production at a regional or national level.
A non-critical drug medicine shortage with a high impact can still heavily affect patients, health care or veterinary services.
Contact us
Swedish Medical Products Agency (Läkemedelsverket)
Opening hours: weekdays 8:00 am to 4:30 pm CET
Telephone: +46 (0)18-17 46 00
Email: registrator@lakemedelsverket.se