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ANPE A pharmacy employee looks at the stock in a pharmacy
NOS News•yesterday, 7:59 p.m.•yesterday adjusted, 9:48 p.m
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Anouk Lambregts
Publisher Online
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Anouk Lambregts
Publisher Online
There is a serious shortage of the drug Zypadhera in psychiatric care, reports the National Medicines Coordination Center (LCG). Zypadhera is used by people with psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. The drug is often prescribed in high doses and administered by injection.
The shortage means patients have to switch medications more frequently, which can cause a lot of stress and uncertainty. This increases the risk of developing psychosis. There is also a risk that people will stop taking medication, whether because of stress or because they don’t like another medication. This also increases the risk of psychosis.
Stress also plays a major role in the patient’s environment. This is emphasized by Bert Stuivenuiter from the Mind Ypsilon patient association. “Sometimes patients receive the medication without realizing the need for it. Others receive it as forced treatment. They may not understand the severity of a deficiency, but their families and communities do,” says Stuivenuiter.
In the Netherlands, around 1,400 people use Zypadhera. Not only are they affected by the shortage, but also patients who have not yet started taking them. They fish behind the net because the limited supply is reserved for the worst cases.
What is psychosis?
People with psychosis suffer from confused thinking and perception. “People can have delusions or hallucinations. They interpret reality differently,” says Bert Luteijn, psychiatrist at GGZ Rivierduinen. “They show confused and chaotic behavior, are anxious and irritable.”
In extreme cases, people with psychosis are aggressive and therefore sometimes pose a danger to themselves or the environment. “Having the right medication in stock is an absolute necessity.”
Changing medication is also complicated in practice. Hospital pharmacist Nicole Hunfeld describes such a forced change as very annoying. “You have a certain amount of medication in your blood. You just can’t reduce or change that amount.”
“It is risky to simply change medications,” says psychiatrist Bert Luteijn. “Whether a drug works for someone is very individual, and it takes time to find out.” He says shortages often come as a surprise, eliminating the time actually needed for a new treatment plan.
Hunfeld, who is also a board member of the pharmacy organization KNMP, agrees. “You always wonder. Your supply for a particular drug falls below a limit, you go to order it and then it turns out it’s not there. Then you’re actually already too late,” she says. “Companies only report to the KNMP when the defect already exists.”
Count ampoules
The Zypadhera shortage is not an isolated case: The KNMP has already raised the alarm about the record number of drug shortages in 2022. Hünfeld emphasizes the seriousness. “It may seem normal because it happens so often these days. But the fact that the LCG is sounding the alarm is serious and should not become the norm.”
Zypadhera may be imported from abroad until March 15 due to a “deficiency decision” by the Health and Youth Inspectorate. However, the drug is also available there in limited quantities.
For this reason, the LCG also recommends adapting the treatment of patients. “It’s a global problem,” says Hunfeld. “I also counted vials for other medications this week to see if I could make it this week.”
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