“It’s a situation I have never experienced before,” Alain de Bourcy admitted. While medicine shortages have occurred in the past, the situation has deteriorated in recent months. The issue is exacerbated by the absence of everyday medicines such as cough syrup, antibiotics for children, and medicines for high blood pressure or diabetes. And there are very few alternatives to these medicines, according to the president of the Union of Luxembourg Pharmacists.
-> Empty shelves in pharmacies: What is the reason for Luxembourg’s medicine shortage?
There have been cases in which customers had to leave pharmacies empty-handed, Bourcy said, adding that “I would never have thought that something like this could happen.” If the situation worsens, politicians will have to step in, he stressed, “including at the European level.” In Bourcy’s eyes, decision-makers may need to put pressure on the pharmaceutical industry if necessary.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that only a small number of factories produce the medicines, some of which are situated in countries such as China, where political tensions could quickly lead to delivery suspensions. According to Bourcy, it is therefore critical to boost local production. The president of the Union of Luxembourg Pharmacists stressed that these are issues that the European Commission must address.
Alain de Bourcy, on the other hand, sees no “problematic dependence” on Belgium. Luxembourg imports 85% of its medications from Belgium, “and this cooperation has always worked well.”
As for the number of pharmacies – Luxembourg currently has 98 – Bourcy is not opposed to an increase in accordance with the population, but stressed that this should not result in a complete liberalisation of the sector. “Medicines must continue to be sold in pharmacies,” the president of the Union of Luxembourg Pharmacists stated, adding that “this is in the interest of everyone’s health.”
