Patients’ complaints soar amid drug supply issue

ISTANBUL

With pharmacies facing significant challenges in providing many drugs due to the currency-indexed medication supply system in the country, patients have increasingly voiced their concerns, eagerly awaiting a new solution, particularly for obtaining medications crucial for life-threatening illnesses.

In July, a presidential decree on the pricing of medicinal products was published in the Official Gazette, increasing the euro exchange rate used for drug pricing by 30.5 percent, from 10 to 14 Turkish Liras. Pharmacists stated that despite this regulation, recent difficulties in the procurement of medications have been increasing, causing concerns about further exacerbation of these issues.

In parallel with the concerns of pharmacists, a leading platform called Şikayetvar, which receives complaints from the public over a wide range of products, revealed that complaints against pharmaceutical manufacturers from patients have increased by 113 percent this year compared to 2022.

Among the complaints received on the platform was the inability to procure medications used in the treatment of various diseases, from Wilson's disease to bipolar disorders and leukemia to skin conditions.

Most recently, Swiss-based pharmaceutical company Roche announced its decision to halt sales of one of its drugs used after organ transplants in Türkiye as of Aug. 31