EPILEPTICS STRUGGLING TO FIND DRUGS FOR SIX MONTHS

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The Valencia epilepsy association has denounced the lack of supplies of a drug in pharmacies to control the condition, stating that patients have been struggling to obtain the necessary medication for the last six months.

In a statement, the association says that although the scarcity and lack of supply of antiepileptic drugs “has been happening intermittently for more than two years”, the last six months have been particularly bad, with many prescribed patients unable to find any stocks of the drug called “Keppra”, supplied by UCB Pharma.

The statement continued to explain how patients are left “unprotected, unassisted and with a deep fear of not finding the drug that controls the disease and its crisis”, adding that the anxiety caused by the stress of not finding the drug can lead to a relapse or worsening of the condition.

In addition, they say, “many people with epilepsy have to endure the serious risks posed to their health by a lack of supply of certain antiepileptic drugs”, when conditions dictate a regular compliance with the course of treatment for it to be effective.

The association has been collating data since the start of summer on patients who are struggling with supplies, which has resulted in frequent searches across numerous pharmacies and even calls to hospitals for help.

The company supplying the drug, UCB Pharma, says that they provide sufficient quantities for the Spanish market. However, this is clearly not the case according to the testaments of the patients struggling to find the medication. The Ministry of Health is yet to comment on the situation.