PHARMACIES in Malaysia continue to face a shortage of over-the-counter drugs but the situation is manageable, Amrahi Buang said.

The Malaysian Pharmacists Society president said shortages only involve certain brands as generic and other brands are still available.

The shortage includes drugs such as paracetamol, cough syrup, medications for food poisoning and allergies.

“I wouldn’t say that the situation has completely recovered,” Amrahi told The Malaysian Insight.

“I still go around and can’t get a particular brand (of drugs). Some still don’t have stock.

“But of course, generics are available and hence the shortage is not an issue at the moment.”

Earlier this year, the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) said a surge in demand for over-the-counter drugs, supply chain disruptions and scaled-down production during the Covid-19 pandemic had led to a shortage of medicines in the country.

Coupled with a rise in Covid-19 cases and the discovery of a new Omicron variant, it was reported that pharmacies and convenience stores were running short of certain over-the-counter drugs.

Among them was a leading paracetamol brand, Panadol, commonly used to relieve fever and headaches.

Noting the shortage of medication of that particular brand, Amrahi said the drug supply has not been consistent for the past year.

“For that particular brand, the supply has been inconsistent for more than a year. I’ve been monitoring,” he said.

“Sometimes it is on the high, sometimes on the low.”

However, Amrahi said, it was not a worry because fellow industry players had not raised alarm over the matter.

“For now, they have not informed me of anything that is concerning. So I believe there are no issues,” he said.

In July, then health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the ministry would release its federal medical stockpile to private hospitals and clinics to address the shortage.

His then deputy, Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali, also said he expected the shortages to be resolved within two weeks.

However, no mention was made on how the ministry planned to overcome it.

Several health organisations have called on the Health Ministry to introduce policies for Malaysians to return unused, unwanted or excess drugs to combat the shortage of medicine in the country. – December 11, 2022.