Experts raise alarm about withdrawal of 2 antidepressants: “Essential for public health”
The Danish pharmaceutical company Lundbeck has decided to withdraw antidepressants Nortrilen and Redomex from the Belgian market. The company says it is not profitable to supply the medicines here, but psychiatrists and hospital pharmacists are now sounding the alarm. Minister of Health Frank Vandenbroucke plans to sanction the company.
Nortriptyline (Nortrilen) and amitriptyline (Redomex) are antidepressant medications used by 300,000 to 400,000 Belgian patients annually. “They are first-generation antidepressants, older antidepressants, which work very powerfully on depressive symptoms,” says Kirsten Catthoor of the Flemish Association for Psychiatry. “We use these drugs for people with severe depressive symptoms, but also for pain relief, for example. Anesthesiologists and neurologists use them for people with very severe nerve pain.”
The company Lundbeck has now decided to withdraw the 2 medications from the Belgian market starting in June. “The company stated that it costs them more to keep the drugs on the market here than they earn from them,” says Catthoor. “So, it is purely an economic decision.” Normally, a company can apply for better reimbursement if a drug is not profitable enough, but in this case, Lundbeck is not doing that. Sales continue in other countries.
“All hospital pharmacist and psychiatrist associations in our country are therefore joining forces. They wrote an open letter urging the company to take action. They also urgently want to meet with the cabinet of Minister of Health Frank Vandenbroucke.”
Meanwhile, Minister Vandenbroucke has stated that the federal government is “doing everything possible to help patients who rely on antidepressants.” Vandenbroucke also plans to sanction Lundbeck with a fine: “In times of scarcity, it is my responsibility to ensure that people who need the medication are helped. But I also hold the company accountable. They are not meeting certain legal obligations regarding supply, with all the consequences.”
In the meantime, the government is calling on hospitals and pharmacists to order the drugs from abroad, which should normally be delivered within one week. For a long-term solution, they are looking for another provider for our country.
“These medications are truly indispensable,” emphasizes Catthoor. “They are on the list of essential medicines and are also widely seen as necessary in the rest of the world, especially for older people who may tolerate side effects less. For a group of patients, these are the only medications that work for severe depressive symptoms. So, it is truly essential for public health that these medications remain on the market,” concludes Catthoor.