Infarmed has suspended the export of 52 medicines, including 163 presentations of quetiapine, to safeguard domestic supply amid ongoing shortages.

The monthly shortage list tracks medicines that were in short supply in the previous month and includes those under Exceptional Use Authorization (AUE).

The list updates each month to flag medicines with medium or high impact shortages, as well as those supplied under AUE.

The supply disruption is not confined to Portugal; several EU countries are affected as well.

Infarmed conducts daily monitoring of shortages and discontinuations to prevent critical gaps in medicine availability.

This ongoing monitoring helps identify and preempt potential critical supply issues across the market.

The supply issues stem from a manufacturing suspension caused by a microbial contamination detected at a Greek producer serving many Portuguese marketing authorisation holders.

The export suspensions are designed to ensure domestic supply and apply to all parties in the supply chain, including manufacturers.

Infarmed participates in a European network with EMA and the European Commission to share information on shortages and medicine availability across the EU.

The monthly list also flags 163 presentations of quetiapine as restricted due to supply problems, impacting its availability.

The export ban, announced by Infarmed and taking effect today, covers antidepressants, analgesics, antibiotics, and cancer treatments.