General Discussion

FarCenter

(19,429 posts) Thu Feb 28, 2013, 12:54 PM Feb 2013

Panic in Greek pharmacies as hundreds of medicines run short

Greece is facing a serious shortage of medicines amid claims that pharmaceutical multinationals have halted shipments to the country because of the economic crisis and concerns that the drugs will be exported by middlemen because prices are higher in other European countries.

Hundreds of drugs are in short supply and the situation is getting worse, according to the Greek drug regulator. The government has drawn up a list of more than 50 pharmaceutical companies it accuses of halting or planning to halt supplies because of low prices in the country.

More than 200 medicinal products are affected, including treatments for arthritis, hepatitis C and hypertension, cholesterol-lowering agents, antipsychotics, antibiotics, anaesthetics and immunomodulators used to treat bowel disease.

Separately, it was announced on Tuesday that the Swiss Red Cross was slashing its supply of donor blood to Greece because it had not paid its bills on time.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/27/greece-blames-drug-companies-shortages

4 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Panic in Greek pharmacies as hundreds of medicines run short (Original Post) FarCenter Feb 2013 OP

that last line... FirstLight Feb 2013 #1

It's not clear why Greece would depend on the Swiss Red Cross and not the Hellenic Red Cross? FarCenter Feb 2013 #3

The bigger story here is the catastrophic but inevitable result of austerity measures imposed riderinthestorm Feb 2013 #2

exactly FirstLight Feb 2013 #4

FirstLight

(13,360 posts)

1. that last line...

Reply to FarCenter (Original post)

Thu Feb 28, 2013, 12:57 PM

Feb 2013

can the Red Cross actually DO that? I thought they were supposed to be the saviors/rescuers/etc...

so all these people are gonna really start wigging out... antidepressant withdrawals are some serious shit. not to mention BP meds, etc...there's gonna be a lot of people dying in their homes for lack of medication...I guess it is one way to cull the herd.

FarCenter

(19,429 posts)

3. It's not clear why Greece would depend on the Swiss Red Cross and not the Hellenic Red Cross?

Reply to FirstLight (Reply #1)

Thu Feb 28, 2013, 01:19 PM

Feb 2013

http://www.redcross.gr/

This may explain: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/swiss-red-cross-cuts-blood-supply-to-greece-after-payment-arrears/2013/02/26/8529ce12-8011-11e2-a671-0307392de8de_story.html

The Swiss blood shipped to Greece helps meet demand from the country’s thalassemia sufferers. An estimated 3,000 people in Greece with a severe form of this genetic disorder — also known as Mediterranean anemia — need regular transfusions amounting to some 130,000 packets a year.

riderinthestorm

(23,272 posts)

2. The bigger story here is the catastrophic but inevitable result of austerity measures imposed

Reply to FarCenter (Original post)

Thu Feb 28, 2013, 01:06 PM

Feb 2013

on a country. The ramifications of this can't even be hidden since the story of Greece's descent into this state was forced by TPTB who were insisting this was the 'right" course of action to "save" Greece. Their plans were international news.

Hopefully the rest of the troubled countries who believe the Big Banksters know best, will learn the terrible lessons of Greece.

Horrific.

FirstLight

(13,360 posts)

4. exactly

Reply to riderinthestorm (Reply #2)

Thu Feb 28, 2013, 01:54 PM

Feb 2013

with the sequester BS coming down the pike, I keep thinking the same thing.

Reply to this discussion