Fedez: «The pancreatic enzymes cannot be found». Almost 3,500 medicines missing (Aifa)

They cannot be found pancreatic enzymes. The cry of alarm on the shortage of these medicines, necessary for many patients, was launched yesterday by Fedez by publishing a post on Instagram: I am receiving lots of emails about a problem that I have also encountered – wrote the rapper -. Having had pancreas surgery, like other patients I need to take pancreatic enzymes to be able to eat and assimilate food. It seems like they haven't been found for a month now. Fedez explained that he had a small supply of the medicine but is running out of it, and she can't find it in the pharmacy, like many others.

Probably in shortage until December 2025

Why are pancreatic enzymes nowhere to be found? In reality, as he had already explained in one the Italian Medicines Agency noted last October (Aifa), it can happen because these pancrelipase-based medicines are currently distributed on a contingent basis, due to production problems and high demand. Probably the deficiency it will continue until December 2025as stated in list of temporarily lacking drugs published on the AIFA website.

Which patients need it and why

But who are these medicines for, and why? Gianni Sava, professor of pharmacology at the University of Trieste and member of the Italian Society of Pharmacology, explains: medicine contains enzymes normally produced by the pancreassuch as amylase which promotes the digestion of sugars, the protease that of proteins, the lipase that helps digest fats. Patients, for example, need it who have had pancreatic or other cancer gastric tumors or acute pancreatitis. The lacking onebased on pancrelipase, theonly authorized medicine in our country.

No to do-it-yourself but consult your doctor

What should patients who need it but can't find it do? First of all no to do-it-yourself while looking for a possible “substitute” (e.g. supplements) to purchase on the Internet – warns the pharmacologist -. The medicine, in fact, comes prescribed by the doctor based on the patient's needs, with a therapeutic plan indicating quantities, dosages, etc. If you have difficulty finding the drug – advises Professor Sava – the problem should be reported to your doctor (family or specialist), who will activate the appropriate channels to ensure that their client does not miss out on therapy.

What healthcare companies and pharmacies can do

The Ministry of Health confirms that the problem was known following Fedez's complaint, recalling that, as already happens when other drugs are lacking, the necessary procedures are activated to guarantee continuity of therapy for each patient. If, as in this case, the medicine cannot be replaced because there are no equivalents on the market, AIFA allows healthcare facilities to import similar medicines authorized abroad, in the event that the structures themselves encounter discontinuities in supply, at the level of the distribution networks to which they have access. Furthermore, – the Ministry of Health recalls – the pharmacies
who do not have to find the product in the usual distribution channels they can carry out a direct order to the owner (of the marketing authorization of the drug, ed.) through the appropriate Customer service service.

The list of those who cannot be found grows longer

It must be said that the problem of unobtainable drugs is not new for many patients, forced to wander from one pharmacy to another to find the medicine they usually take. And the AIFA list of deficient drugs, published on the Agency's portal, has grown in recent years. Just think that on the date of January 26th you register the shortage of almost 3,500 products (exactly 3,462 ), even if iIn several cases there are multiple dosages and pharmaceutical forms (tablets, injections etc.) for the same specialties. Among the unobtainable drugs there are, among others: anticoagulants, products for respiratory diseases, vaccinesthe.

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