EMA issues guidance to help stop drug shortages

New  guidance has been developed by the European Medicines Agency to help the pharmaceutical industry maintain continuity of supply and prevent shortages.

The EMA said that medicine shortages are a global health problem which increasingly affects European countries, increasing the risk of rationing and delays to critical treatments.

The agency warned that patients could be forced to use less effective alternatives, making the preservation of a robust supply a key priority for the European medicines regulatory network.