Prof. Asena Serbezova, chair of the Bulgarian Pharmaceutical Union formulated three hypotheses why there is a shortage of medicines in the pharmacy network:

“Some wholesalers are exporting medicines because they have an interest in the price difference; lack of a system monitoring availability in the pharmacy network; increased consumption due to the coronavirus epidemic,” she said in an interview for BNT.

In her words pharmacists continue to demand to have the right to generic substitution (editorial note: substitution of a prescribed branded drug by a different form of the same active substance), so as to compensate for their shortage in pharmacies. In Prof. Serbezova’s words there is no system in this country for monitoring the quantities of medicines sold, or prescribed by doctors.