← European Medicine Shortage Tracker

Medicine shortages in European Union (EMA) 🇪🇺

Availability information only — Mobi Doctor doesn't sell medicines; check with a pharmacy.

MEDICALLY REVIEWED
Dr. Chrysoula I. Liakou MD, PhD
Internal Medicine Specialist
Cancer Immunology Researcher
Reviewed 30 July 2026 · next review due 30 January 2027

25 medicines currently affected according to EMA shortages catalogue (EU) · updated 21 September 2026

Shortage 26

Key facts

26 product-level reports are open, 2 of them newly filed in September 2026. The longest-running open case is Verteporfin, reported on 2020-05-01 — about 76 months ago.

How to read this register: The EMA catalogue lists only shortages assessed at EU level — typically critical, multi-country cases for centrally authorised medicines. National registers list far more.

How medicine shortages are managed in the EU

EU-level shortage work is steered by the MSSG — the Medicines Shortages Steering Group hosted at EMA — which assesses critical, multi-country shortages and coordinates member-state responses.

Member states now feed a common European Shortages Monitoring Platform (ESMP), and the EU maintains a Union list of critical medicines whose supply chains receive extra scrutiny; a Critical Medicines Act has been proposed to fund European manufacturing resilience.

An EMA catalogue entry signals coordination, not uniform scarcity: the same medicine can be exhausted in one member state and freely available in another, because distribution, pricing and stock decisions stay national.

For what you can actually collect at a pharmacy, the national register is authoritative — every medicine page on this tracker links each country's own record next to the EMA view.

What to do if your medicine is affected

The EMA catalogue covers shortages assessed at EU level — typically critical, multi-country cases. Your national register (linked from every medicine page) is the authoritative source for availability in your own country, and each EMA record carries patient and healthcare-professional guidance. Never stop a treatment on your own — confirm any switch with your pharmacist or prescriber.

Searched locally as: EMA shortage list, EU medicine shortage.

Newest reports

MedicineStatusReportedExpected end
AlbendazoleShortage2026-09-09
EsmololShortage2026-09-02
Paliperidone palmitateShortage2026-08-27
AztreonamShortage2026-07-10
InotersenShortage2026-07-03
Mycobutin (rifabutin)Shortage2026-06-30
TopiramateShortage2026-06-29
Eli Lilly insulin (various forms)Shortage2026-03-23
CyclophosphamideShortage2026-02-24
IfosfamideShortage2026-02-12

All affected medicines

MedicineStatusSince Expected endReports
VerteporfinShortage2020-05-011
Insulin humanShortage2023-01-241
LiraglutideShortage2023-08-031
VindesineShortage2024-02-231
FludarabineShortage2024-03-111
Pancreas powder;pancrelipaseShortage2024-04-291
Human normal immunoglobulinsShortage2024-06-031
OlanzapineShortage2024-07-091
QuetiapineShortage2025-03-111
Insulin aspartShortage2025-05-082
Eptacog alfa (activated)Shortage2025-05-121
Human normal immunoglobulinShortage2025-11-111
MannitolShortage2025-11-141
RisperidoneShortage2025-11-191
Insulin lisproShortage2025-12-081
IfosfamideShortage2026-02-121
CyclophosphamideShortage2026-02-241
Eli Lilly insulin (various forms)Shortage2026-03-231
TopiramateShortage2026-06-291
Mycobutin (rifabutin)Shortage2026-06-301
InotersenShortage2026-07-031
AztreonamShortage2026-07-101
Paliperidone palmitateShortage2026-08-271
EsmololShortage2026-09-021
AlbendazoleShortage2026-09-091

Shortages by country

Every row links to the medicine's Europe-wide page; statuses come from the official register linked above and can change daily. Not medical advice.

Frequently asked

How many medicines are currently in shortage in European Union (EMA)?

As of 21 September 2026, 25 medicines have open availability reports in EMA shortages catalogue (EU), covering 26 product-level entries. 2 new reports were filed in September 2026.

Where does European Union (EMA) publish its official shortage list?

EMA shortages catalogue (EU) — this page aggregates it daily and links every entry back to the official record. The EMA catalogue lists only shortages assessed at EU level — typically critical, multi-country cases for centrally authorised medicines. National registers list far more.

Does an EMA-listed shortage mean the medicine is unavailable in my country?

Not necessarily. EMA lists shortages assessed at Union level — often critical, multi-country cases — but availability is national. Check your country's page on this tracker (linked below) for what your own register says, and expect the picture to differ between neighbouring countries.

What is the EU actually doing about medicine shortages?

Three concrete tracks: the MSSG coordinates responses to critical shortages, the ESMP gives regulators a shared live monitoring platform, and the Union critical-medicines list plus the proposed Critical Medicines Act aim public money at the root cause — Europe's dependence on a handful of overseas manufacturing sites for essential active ingredients.

Embed this counter

Newsrooms and health sites may embed the live European Union (EMA) shortage count — free, with attribution:

<iframe src="https://www.mobidoctor.eu/medicine-shortages/country/eu/embed.html" width="100%" height="130" loading="lazy" style="border:1px solid #e1e0d9;border-radius:12px" title="Medicine shortages in European Union (EMA)"></iframe>
<p style="font-size:12px">Source: <a href="https://www.mobidoctor.eu/medicine-shortages/country/eu/">Medicine shortages in European Union (EMA) — European Medicine Shortage Tracker</a> by MobiDoctor</p>