Déclaration commune de l'OICS, de l'ONUDC et de l'OMS sur l'accès aux médicaments placés sous contrôle dans les situations d'urgence

National Cancer Institute - Unsplash

Actualités

Déclaration commune de l'OICS, de l'ONUDC et de l'OMS sur l'accès aux médicaments placés sous contrôle dans les situations d'urgence

28 septembre 2021

Une action urgente est nécessaire pour s’assurer que les systèmes nationaux améliorent l’accès aux médicaments placés sous control pour les personnes en situation d’urgence, y compris dans le cas d’une pandémie. Pour en savoir plus, en anglais, veuillez lire les informations ci-dessous.

Access to controlled medicines in humanitarian emergencies remains constrained

Recognizing World Humanitarian Day 2021, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) once again call on governments to facilitate access to medicines containing controlled substances in emergency settings, including during pandemics and the increasing number of climate-related disasters.

The theme of World Humanitarian Day 2021 acknowledged the impact of climate-related emergencies. Over 7,348 disasters have been reporting in the last two decades of which 40% are now estimated to be climate-related according to United Nations reports. The impact of their increasing number combined with the persistent COVID-19 pandemic creates a complex landscape for ensuring access to controlled medicines in emergencies.

A year after an earlier joint statement, unprecedented trade restrictions, shortages of medicines, surges in infections, and new variants of SARS-CoV-2 compound the problems related to maintaining a supply of controlled medicines, according to WHO and the World Trade Organization.

The problem of access to controlled medicines in emergencies

There is an increase in demand for controlled medicines in emergency responses. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO has identified over 20 medicines with global-level shortages, including four that contain controlled substances that are used in intensive care units for the treatment of severe cases of COVID-19. Internationally controlled medicines such as morphine, diazepam, and midazolam listed as WHO essential medicines, are vital for the management of pain, palliative care, surgical care and anesthesia, and treatment of drug-use disorders, mental health, and neurological conditions.

Shortages impact countries of all income levels. Low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) are often disproportionately impacted by shortages--partly related to their relative purchasing power in international medicines markets and partly because specialized systems to manage controlled medicines do not always accommodate sufficient exceptions for emergencies.

Urgent action is needed to ensure that national systems improve access to controlled medicines for people affected by emergencies, including pandemics, and climate-related disasters.

Régions

Profils associés

  • International Narcotics Control Board (INCB)
  • United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
  • World Health Organization (WHO)

Traductions