Pharmacists union warns of drug shortages and licensing issues in Turkey

Duvar English

Nurten Saydan, chair of the Turkish Pharmacists' Employers Union (TEİS), on Nov. 21 issued a written statement addressing restricted access to deregistered and innovative drugs.

Saydan criticized officials for promoting the inclusion of 18 drugs under reimbursement schemes while remaining silent on the cancellation of 938 drug licenses by companies over the past two years. She noted that pharmaceutical firms were gradually withdrawing from Turkey.

Saydan stated, "While global medicine and pharmacology progress and the World Health Organization declares various pandemics and epidemics, 604 drug licenses were canceled in Turkey this year, following 328 cancellations last year."

Accordingly, access to innovative drugs in Turkey stood at just six percent, which the union leader found concerning.

The last Euro exchange rate set by the ministry for drug pricing was 21.67 Turkish liras. Currently, one euro equals 36.39 liras.

"This unrealistic figure burdens the entire sector. As a result, many drugs are no longer available, imported drugs are no longer being brought in, and new medications are not introduced into the market. Additionally, licenses for existing drugs are being canceled."

Saydan added, "As TEİS, we have always supported local drug production, and we continue to do so. However, nationalizing medicine cannot be achieved this way. Current policies not only deter new-generation drugs from entering the market but also strain local pharmaceutical industries, limiting resources for R&D."

"If these conditions persist, we fear losing our domestic pharmaceutical capabilities altogether," she concluded.

Back in 2020, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, David Satterfield, said debts owed by Turkish government hospitals to American pharmaceutical companies had risen to around $2.3 billion, warning that there would be consequences for non-payment of debt or reductions in payment.