Overview

• More than 500 medicines are on an official list as hard to obtain, with some classified under a formal supply shortage requiring imports.
• Ongoing gaps hit children’s antibiotic syrups, asthma inhalers such as salbutamol, ADHD treatments and many psychopharmaceuticals.
• Preis says fever and cold remedies and many antibiotics are currently available, though pediatric formulations remain scarce.
• He cites dependence on China and India for low-cost generics and on the United States for innovative drugs as a key vulnerability.
• Local pharmacies face strain from foreign mail‑order sellers accused of ignoring German price rules and from insurer‑driven bureaucracy that cuts into patient care.