Morocco: Patients in Danger Due to the Lack of Essential Treatments

Thousands of Moroccan patients suffering from calcium deficiency are at risk after the sudden disappearance of two vital drugs from pharmacies: “Ine Alpha” and “Deril 1.0”. These treatments, containing Alfacalcidol, are crucial for the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, and their absence exposes patients to serious risks of health complications.

An Unexpected and Unexplained Shortage

In recent weeks, patients have been forced to repeatedly go to emergency rooms, due to the deterioration of their health caused by the shortage of these drugs. According to professional sources, requests for the importation of “Ine Alpha” and “Deril 1.0”, produced by foreign laboratories, have increased considerably. However, these drugs have disappeared from the shelves of pharmacies without any warning, leaving patients in a critical situation.

Faced with high demand, distributors have justified this shortage by a lack of stock at European laboratories, the main suppliers. This critical situation mainly concerns patients with chronic renal failure and other serious illnesses requiring Alfacalcidol to stabilize their health.

Silence of the Authorities and Growing Concerns

Despite the seriousness of the situation, attempts to contact the Directorate of Medicines and Pharmacy, as well as the Ministry of Health, have remained unanswered. This silence leaves a worrying uncertainty hanging over the management of this shortage.

Abdelmajid Beliaich, an expert in pharmaceutical economics, explains this shortage by a combination of external and internal factors. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many drug-producing countries have tightened their export policies, prioritizing their internal needs to the detriment of foreign markets.

A Drug Market Under Pressure

Beliaich also points out that the supply of medicines on the international market has become insufficient, affecting crucial treatments. This shortage highlights the need for rapid solutions, such as encouraging local production of these medicines and reviewing pricing policies that have led to profit margins so low that some laboratories have stopped producing essential medicines.

Data from the National Health Insurance Agency reveal that patients over 60, who represent less than 10% of the population, consume more than half of the medications for chronic diseases, further emphasizing the urgency of a solution to prevent a major health crisis in Morocco.

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