FWD:OH MY GOSH!!!!! GLOBAL SHORTAGES!! BRACE YOURSELVES!!!!

This could be bad...verrry baad. T.

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Date: Sun, Mar 23, 2008 01:58 AM
Subject: OH MY GOSH!!!!! GLOBAL SHORTAGES!! BRACE YOURSELVES!!!!

HOW LONG HAVE I WARNED OF THIS POSSIBILITY?? And now it is here or at least
on its way with the shortages for raw ingredients being GLOBAL. There will
never be a more perfect scenario for introducing martial law! We could easily
have a NIU tragedy in every state several times a month!! Better yet we will
have Scottish Crown Princes all over the place!! [I smile but dealing with
someone who is manic really is a HORRIFIC experience to go through!]

But think what all those people going manic might do for the economy since
they spend like crazy when they go manic . . . hmmmm maybe that is why there
is a sudden shortage and no one wants to admit where it is coming from - they
are trying to boost the economy. Whatever, it does sound like it could prove
to be a very serious situation.
___________________________________

A nationwide shortage of medications, including those used to treat chronic
ailments like depression and schizophrenia, has pharmacists and patients on
edge.

A pharmacist in Tokai said since the end of last year they had experienced
many problems with items being unavailable for weeks at a time.

"It is extremely frustrating because we are not told why there is a
shortage. And it is not just a particular class of drugs but across the board.&quot;

She said it seemed to be getting worse daily. "Previously we were out of
stock for maybe a week, but now it can be months.&quot;

Manufacturers have been tight-lipped over the exact reasons except to say
there is a GLOBAL [emphasis added] shortage of certain raw ingredients.

'Everyone is passing the buck'
She said not to take the tablets for bipolar disorder was bad, but for
people with schizophrenia it could be a disaster.

Cape Town psychiatrist Dr Jeff Mullan said reasons for the shortages
appeared shrouded in secrecy and denial. "Everyone is passing the buck and there are
all sorts of different stories.&quot;

Patients on drugs like anti-depressants couldn't simply stop taking them.
They needed to be weaned off after completing the pre-requisite course which
was usually six months to a year. "Those who are forced to suddenly stop could
face side-effects."


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(http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&amp;click_id=125&art_id=vn20080322110023445C634624)


Medication shortage hits patients
March 22 2008 at 02:52PM
By Helen Bamford

A nationwide shortage of medications, including those used to treat chronic
ailments like depression and schizophrenia, has pharmacists and patients on
edge.

Manufacturers have been tight-lipped over the exact reasons except to say
there is a global shortage of certain raw ingredients.

A Cape Town woman said she had battled to find her chronic medication for
bipolar disorder, called Solian. Her Sea Point pharmacist said they had phoned
everywhere but the whole of South Africa appeared to be out of stock. And a
number of other medications, including some anti-retrovirals and
anti-depressants, were also unavailable. "Eventually they found some of a much higher
dosage which they cut up into quarters.&quot;

'Everyone is passing the buck'She said not to take the tablets for bipolar
disorder was bad, but for people with schizophrenia it could be a disaster.

Cape Town psychiatrist Dr Jeff Mullan said reasons for the shortages
appeared shrouded in secrecy and denial. "Everyone is passing the buck and there are
all sorts of different stories.&quot;

Patients on drugs like anti-depressants couldn't simply stop taking them.
They needed to be weaned off after completing the pre-requisite course which
was usually six months to a year. "Those who are forced to suddenly stop could
face side-effects."

Both the chemical and psychological dependency needed to be taken into
account. "A person who suddenly has to stop can experience psychological panic,
which can be as powerful and impactful as the chemical dependency."

Peter Eagles, president of the SA Pharmacy Council, said there could be many
reasons for the shortages, including inadequate standards at facilities
producing the drugs.

'People on anti-depressants also can't just swap their medication'This was
what caused the recent Disprin shortage, when Enaleni Pharmaceuticals was
forced to upgrade its Durban facilities and there was a disruption in supply.

Many pharmaceuticals were produced in countries such as India, Iceland and
Puerto Rico. Sometimes after inspections these facilities were closed down.

Eagles said competing markets and economics could also be contributing
reasons.

A pharmacist at Dischem said the shortages had not only increased their
workload but had annoyed customers who had to return to get their medication.
"People on anti-depressants also can't just swap their medication, so they are
getting upset.&quot;

Among the items out of stock at their pharmacies were the anti-depressant
Trepeline [Elavil], and Buto-Block for high blood pressure. One of their lines
of anti-retrovirals was also in short supply, and there were shortages of
cold and flu medication containing ephedrine.

The pharmacists said on one occasion robbers in Johannesburg had hijacked a
truck containing more than 500kg of ephedrine, which is a chemical commonly
used in the manufacture of cat and tik (methamphetamine). This had possibly
contributed to the shortage.

A Johannesburg pharmacist said they were also experiencing several shortages
of drugs at the moment. Aropax [Paxil], an anti-depressant produced by
GlaxoSmithKline, hadn't been available for some time while Molipaxin [Trazadone],
also an anti-depressant produced by Sanofi Aventis, was "totally
unavailable".

He said people on anti-depressants couldn't simply swap their medication for
something else. "We also can't get Disprin or Codis. The manufacturers
either say they are battling to get raw ingredients or there are problems with
packaging."

A pharmacist in Tokai said since the end of last year they had experienced
many problems with items being unavailable for weeks at a time.

"It is extremely frustrating because we are not told why there is a
shortage. And it is not just a particular class of drugs but across the board.&quot;

She said it seemed to be getting worse daily. "Previously we were out of
stock for maybe a week, but now it can be months.&quot;

Allison Vienings, the executive director of the Self Medication Association
of SA, said there were many reasons for medicine shortages. "Sometimes the
formula is required to change and these changes have to be approved by the
Medicines Regulatory Authority."

An application for change had to be submitted and it often took some time to
be approved. Manufacturers could also face a shortage of ingredients.

Mary Termets, of Sanofi Aventis, said they had been out of stock of the
anti-depressant Molipaxin [Trazadone] 50mg capsules since last year as a result
of a global shortage of one of the raw ingredients, and were unlikely to get
stock before the end of April. GlaxoSmithKline failed to provide reasons for
the shortages, while Bayer did not respond to calls.

* This article was originally published on page 5 of _Cape Argus_
(http://www.capeargus.co.za/) on March 22, 2008

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