The drug sales collapsed between November and January, presenting drops of up to 45%when there was a more than doubling of the price of drugs, within the framework of a public spending adjustment and investments that impact income levels.
This situation practically puts in a state of emergency to the health systembecause the interruption of chronic treatments usually causes a increased emergency care.
The most consumed medications in Argentina increased 100% since November. And doctors warn of an increase in consultations resulting from the interruption of therapies.
The numbers of medication declines in Argentina
According to Argentine Confederation of Medium Enterprises (CAME), in December there was a drop in retail sales of 28.5% in the commercial chain in general. But in pharmacies, the number rose to 45%.
According to him Center of Argentine Pharmaceutical Professionals (Ceprofar), there is a 15% year-on-year drop in the number of units sold. The drop in real wages was 13% according to the Ripte index.
According to the owner of Ceprofar, Ruben Sajem, over-the-counter medications fell the most in demand, hitting the ceiling of 20%. The impact was strong in the areas of dermatology, digestive, analgesics and antifungals.
In the case of prescription drugs, the drop was smaller, but caught the attention of businessmen in the sector: 8%.
The sale of drugs for chronic treatments for the nervous system, the cardiovascular system, which has to do with glaucoma, cholesterol control and pre-diabetes and prostate treatment fell. The drop was also strongly felt in medications for respiratory diseases and antibiotics, a trend that had already been observed since the end of the pandemic.
The Argentine Pharmaceutical Confederation (COFA) reported that the drugs that fell the most in sales were those of respiratory system (14.9%), anti-infectives (12.84%), hormonal (8.13%) and for him nervous system (7.21%).
How laboratories act in the face of the crisis
He Official College of Pharmacists and Biochemists of Capital Federal noted the strong impact on the drop in drug sales in January. He attributed it to sharp price increases.
There are laboratories that, given the drop in sales, They intensified the PAP bonus system, for which some doctors are authorized to prepare special prescriptions that allow the patient to buy two for the price of one. They are widely used, especially in specialties such as cardiology, psychiatry, gastroenterology, and others.
The drop in sales reflects that many people cannot access the treatments, to which is added the fact that they are leaving prepaid ones, due to the very strong rise in the increase in fees, that exceed 100 percent in just two months.
Doctors receive more and more questions about the consequences of abandoning treatments, which in many cases cannot be left aside.
Although there is no processed data yet, the number of cardiovascular events and stroke would have increased in recent monthsas a result of the fact that people can go to the doctors less and that stress symptoms have skyrocketed due to economic difficulties.
In addition, health unions warned that There is a decrease in the delivery of medication to the public system; “Currently, the guards and health centers do not have chronic medication for hypertension, diabetes, hypothyroidism, among others.”
They warned that “In the wards there are no vials of intravenous medication that is used daily, such as metoclopramide, used for vomiting, or hydrocortisone, an essential medication for respiratory distress”.
Source: Ambito
