Approximately 60 medications, including vaccines against pneumonia and gastroenteritis, drugs used to treat diabetes and depressive disorders, and some corticosteroids, are temporarily banned for export, according to Infarmed (the Portuguese National Authority of Medicines and Health Products).

The list published by Infarmed of medications whose export is temporarily prohibited, updated this month, includes a total of 59 medications, among them some to treat chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and allergic rhinitis, inflammatory bowel diseases, neuromuscular diseases, epilepsy and bipolar disorder, as well as some broad-spectrum antibiotics.

This list is updated monthly and includes medications that were out of stock in the previous month and whose impact on public health was considered medium or high, as well as those being supplied under Exceptional Use Authorisation (AUE).

The suspension of exports aims to ensure the national market’s supply and applies to all stakeholders in the supply chain, including manufacturers.

Infarmed monitors daily shortages, stockouts, and marketing cessations to identify and prevent critical situations that could affect the availability of medicines.

The national medicines authority is part of the European network of contact points for national competent authorities, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and the European Commission, which, since April 2019, has been used to share information on supply disruptions and availability issues for medicines authorised in the European Union.