Insights · 31 Oct 2026

What the data says about Europe's medicine shortages

Every chart here is computed each morning from the five official registers. Hover a bar for exact numbers.

Products short5,1555 countries

Medicines924active ingredients

In 2+ countries459medicines

In all 528medicines

Typical duration6 monthsmedian so far

No return date44%of products

When today's shortages began

GermanyItalySpainAustriaBelgium

Current shortages by reported start month, last 24 months. Older shortages that are still open sit outside this window.

Shared shortages

Each dot is a medicine, grouped by how many of the five countries report it short. Red dots are short everywhere.

Why medicines are short

Manufacturing problemIncreased demandActive ingredient shortageDistribution or logisticsCommercial decision or withdrawalRegulatory or licensingOtherNot stated

Spain does not publish a reason in its open data.

When products are expected back

GermanyItalySpainAustriaBelgium

44% of products have no expected return date at all.

How long shortages last

Time since the reported start, for shortages still open today.

Longest-running shortages

ESTrimipraminesince 5 May 2016 · 10.5 years
ESAztreonamsince 19 Jun 2016 · 10.4 years
ESChlorpromazinesince 4 Aug 2016 · 10.2 years
ATTimololsince 12 Oct 2017 · 9.1 years
ATTerazosinsince 15 May 2018 · 8.5 years
DEValsartan and Diureticssince 1 Jul 2018 · 8.3 years
ITValsartansince 3 Jul 2018 · 8.3 years
DECefiximesince 1 Oct 2018 · 8.1 years
ITMeasles, Combinations with Mumps, Rubella and Varicella, Live Attenuatedsince 1 Jan 2019 · 7.8 years
ITImmunoglobulins, Normal Human, for Intravascular Adm.since 10 Apr 2019 · 7.6 years

Which countries share shortages

	DE	IT	ES	AT	BE
Germany	–	119	93	69	65
Italy	119	–	262	172	194
Spain	93	262	–	140	141
Austria	69	172	140	–	107
Belgium	65	194	141	107	–

Number of medicines short in both countries.

Medicines by number of countries

Company families with the most products short

Packs with a reported shortage across all five countries. Big generics makers lead because they supply the most packs.