Published: Less than 30 min ago
Already last summer, there was a month-long shortage of estrogen patches for menopausal symptoms. Now the situation has worsened further.
The remaining notice applies to all estrogen medicines that are taken through the skin, i.e. patches, gels and sprays, and the shortage is described as “screaming and widespread”, writes Läkartidningen.
In some cases, the person who has been prescribed estrogen via the skin can switch to a drug in tablet form. However, this applies far from everyone. Women who have had blood clots or liver damage and women who have undergone bariatric surgery cannot take tablets instead.
“It is not that someone will die if they do not receive treatment, but the quality of life is significantly affected,” says Natalia Cruz, doctor at Capio Gynecology in Solna, to the newspaper.
The situation has led to many gynecologists being outnumbered.
“There are a lot of people who turn to us. In outpatient care, we get 10 to 20 questions every day,” says Natalia Cruz,
Only in May does the manufacturer Sandoz, which has a shortage of estrogen patches in all strengths, expect the drug to be available in pharmacies again.