Some of the medicines missing in the pharmacy network in Bulgaria - antibiotics and antiviral preparations - are arriving. New supplies are expected at the beginning of next week, said Arkadi Sharkov, a health economist from EKIP and an advisor to the Ministry of Health.

There is also the assurance of generic drug manufacturers in Bulgaria that they will fill part of the deficits, Sharkov added. “For the drugs we have a license for, we have raw materials available and they can be manufactured to reduce shortages,” he noted.

The priority will be the supply of medicines for children, he specified.

Sharkov recalled that there was a delay in the supply of raw materials from China and India and warned that "we will probably have other such peaks" with drug shortages.

There is no mechanism where if someone keeps products in storage because of a certain business practice, they are incentivized to get them out of there. Accelerated parallel import is being considered, explained Arkady Sharkov.

"For Ventolin, there is confidence that rapid parallel imports will be able to take place."

At the moment, the prescription of Pulmicort exceeds by 20-30% what it was during the pandemic, which makes it difficult to find the medication, Sharkov also pointed out.

Stopping parallel exports is illegal, Arkady Sharkov also said.

"Romania tried to stop their parallel exports, but the EC accordingly sent a letter informing them that they could be sanctioned."

According to him, 25 out of 27 countries in the EU have declared a shortage of certain medicines.

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