Belgium Tackles Medicine Shortages Caused by Spreading of Coronavirus
- 26/03/2020
- Articles
The Belgian Official Journal of 25 March 2020 contains the text of the Royal Decree of 24 March 2020 providing for special measures to combat medicine shortages resulting from the pandemic created by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (Koninklijk Besluit houdende bijzondere maatregelen ter bestrijding van tekorten van geneesmiddelen in het kader van de SARS-CoV-2 pandemie/Arrêté royal relatif à des mesures spéciales de lutte contre la pénurie de médicaments dans le contexte de la pandémie de SARS-CoV-2) (the Royal Decree – see, attachment).
The Royal Decree confers on the Minister responsible for public health, or her representative, the Administrator General of the Federal Agency of Medicines and Health Products, the requisite powers to avert shortages of medicines necessary to combat the coronavirus.
These powers include a range of measures, including imposing an export prohibition of medicines or ingredients; limiting the distribution or retail of medicines; rearranging the distribution of medicines or ingredients; and requisitioning stocks of medicines or ingredients. These measures cannot last longer than renewable periods of one month, subject to a total of 12 months. The Royal Decree itself will expire on 25 March 2021.
