In Estonia, medicinal products are produced in a very limited range, so we largely depend on imported pharmaceuticals.
Generally, the supply of medicines in Estonia can be considered good and our market participants have considerable commercial stocks to prevent possible supply issues and mitigate any crises.
Global disruptions in supply and the limited availability of certain drugs is nevertheless quite common on the pharmaceutical market, so when establishing the agency, one of the orders of the government of Estonia for the Estonian Stockpiling Agency was to establish a pharmaceutical stockpile for the population, the use of which would be controlled by the state.
The Estonian Stockpiling Agency started to stockpile pharmaceuticals in the autumn of 2022. Currently, the national pharmaceutical stockpile has about 200 of the most popular over-the-counter and prescription medicinal products sold in pharmacies to last a month.
The stockpile consists of about 200 of the most popular over-the-counter and prescription medicinal products sold in Estonian pharmacies in a quantity corresponding to 30 days’ regular consumption.
The stockpile of pharmaceutical products managed by the Estonian Stockpiling Agency has been established based on active ingredients, not on medicinal products with trademarks of specific manufacturers. Therefore, the stockpile may contain drugs with the required content and properties of active ingredients from different producers.
The stockpile of pharmaceutical products does not include medicines required for the provision of health services in hospitals and by ambulances; forming the national stockpile of these medicinal products is the responsibility of the Health Board.
When preparing a model for the establishment of a national stockpile of pharmaceutical products, the Estonian Stockpiling Agency consulted with a committee consisting of ten top healthcare specialists.
As with all of the state’s operation stockpiles, the detailed nomenclature, volume, or storage locations of the strategic stockpile of pharmaceutical products are not considered public information for security reasons.
The Estonian Stockpiling Agency has concluded delegated stockpile agreements with the wholesalers of medicinal products, based on which the companies have established a supplementary stockpile of medicinal products on behalf of the state and assumed the responsibility for storing and replacing it.
The Estonian Stockpiling Agency reimburses contractual partners for the cost of holding additional stock, but does not buy out medicines.
The Estonian Stockpiling Agency covers the costs of managing a stockpile of pharmaceutical products from a targeted allocation from the state budget.
The stockpile of pharmaceutical products is meant for the population of Estonia.
The wholesalers may not release the strategic stockpile of pharmaceutical products into use independently. This can only be done based on a decision of the government of Estonia following a proposition of the State Agency of Medicines and on an order of the Estonian Stockpiling Agency.
In a situation where the supply of one or more medicinal products to Estonia is blocked, the strategic stockpile under state control will ensure their availability in pharmacies.
In order for everyone to feel more confident regarding potential disruptions in the supply of medicinal products, the State Agency of Medicines recommends to keep at least one month’s supply of prescription drugs at hand at home.
In addition, families should stock antipyretics and painkillers, allergy medication, medicine for digestive disorders, medicinal products against colds, and first aid supplies, including for burns, to last the household at least a week.
Contact the nearest pharmacy in case of any questions related to medicinal products; a map of pharmacies is available here: https://apteegid.ravimiamet.ee/
Last updated: 22.07.2024
