On 15 December, the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) and the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) issued a joint statement on the availability of radiopharmaceuticals in the context of the revision of the general pharmaceutical legislation.
The joint statement touches on the need for a flexible regulatory framework for low volume products and enhancing the security of the supply of medicines and addressing shortages. The following calls to action are included:
Due to the difference between commercial and non-commercial preparations of radiopharmaceuticals, EAHP and EANM are calling for a specific approach to the regulation of small-scale preparation of radiopharmaceuticals.
To further improve patient care, EAHP and EANM encourage (health) authorities to invest in in-house production services, including compounding services and the preparation of radiopharmaceuticals, and the provision of training tailored to specific preparations, including the expansion of training opportunities. With respect to radiopharmaceuticals, in-depth knowledge of radiochemistry, radiation safety automated procedures and radiation measurement technology are of particular importance.
The review of the pharmaceutical legislation should consider that, within hospital pharmacies and radiopharmacies, the demand for marketing authorisation should be strictly limited to starting materials and radionuclide precursors used in kit procedures and not for starting materials and radionuclide precursors if used in complex radiopharmaceutical preparations.
EAHP and EANM call for improved information exchange between authorities and supply chain actors and the relay of information to the end-users. For combatting medicine and radionuclide shortages, best practice sharing is essential, and implementation support for shortage management strategies needs to be provided in the interest of patient safety.
Read the full joint statement of EAHP and EANM on EAHP’s website (www.eahp.eu).
EAHP’s working group on the environmental sustainability of hospital pharmacy services
The climate change emergency and biodiversity loss are fundamental threats to the economic, social and health well-being of humanity. EAHP recognises that medicines and the delivery of pharmacy services are important contributors to these threats. EAHP accepts the responsibility to provide leadership to member states in supporting local, regional and European action to minimise the environmental pollution associated with medicines and hospital pharmacy systems.
To increase carbon literacy within the hospital pharmacy profession and to identify processes where work can be done to reduce the environmental impact of hospital pharmacies in Europe, EAHP has set up a working group on the environmental sustainability of hospital pharmacy services. The group will start its work in spring 2023.
Footnotes
Provenance and peer review: Commissioned; internally peer reviewed.