, medicines used to deal with the symptoms of the disease are increasingly in critically short supply in Europe, the worst-hit continent.heavily backed by US President Donald Trump, the COVID-19 pandemic is eating up stocks.
The European Medicines Agency said that the"continued availability of medicines, in particular those used for patients with COVID-19, is of critical concern for EMA"."Some EU Member States have indicated that they are starting to see shortages of certain medicines used for patients with COVID-19 or are expecting such shortages to occur very soon," the Amsterdam-based regulator said in a statement.
Europe is the continent most heavily affected by the disease and the strain is showing on hospitals dealing with a wave of patients suffering from coronavirus. Nine major European hospitals launched an appeal for help at the end of March, asking for international cooperation to guarantee a steady supply of medicines for the disease.They warned in particular of a shortage of vital drugs for the resuscitation of patients including muscle relaxants, sedatives and painkillers, which are being used up rapidly with"insufficient or non-existent" restocking because of the pandemic.