Amgros has its own stocks. This helps further secure supplies of medicines. It provides greater flexibility, because we can supplement hospital pharmacies' own stocks, and we can buy larger batches of supply-critical medicines.
Before the outbreak of the pandemic, Denmark basically never needed to have more medicines in stock than the current demand. But the COVID-19 pandemic changed this. No one knew specifically which supply challenges we could have to face. Therefore, the Danish Medicines Agency asked Amgros to increase our stocks to ensure that, as far as possible, Danish patients could get the medicines they needed.
We worked closely with suppliers and hospital pharmacies to build up our stocks. This means that some stocks are held in decentral locations, either at the suppliers or at the hospital pharmacies, depending on what is most practical in terms of production and logistics.
The fact that we have built up and expanded our own stocks, while the hospital pharmacies and suppliers have also expanded their stocks, means that, at no time whatsoever during the pandemic have we faced a shortage of critical medicines at public hospitals. Furthermore, in 2020, we managed to reduce the number of back orders of hospital medicines by 20-30%. In contrast, back orders of medicines for public hospitals in Denmark have generally remained constant over the past years.
In practice, we have worked using different lists of needs in our efforts to secure supplies of medicines. And we have done this in collaboration with clinical pharmacologists from the five regions, the eight hospital pharmacies and the Danish Medicines Agency.
Everyone has helped identify the medicines Amgros has to buy more of in this unusual situation. In this way, we have not only ensured supplies of basic medicines for hospitals; we have also ensured supplies of medicines to treat patients with critical illness and patients with COVID-19.
Time will show how our stocks of medicines will develop after the pandemic. Of course, we need to adapt to the situation as it evolves. However, one thing is certain. We will continue to have products on our own shelves to secure supplies of medicines.
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Procurement and supply
Amgros informs the hospital pharmacies when we have set up an agreement to purchase a pharmaceutical. After this, hospital pharmacies send their purchase orders to the supplier
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Back orders
Back orders of pharmaceuticals is a growing challenge globally. The problem arises if a supplier cannot meet demand from hospital pharmacies.
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Nils Linde-Laursen
Head of
My job is to help chart the strategic direction for procurement and supplies of medicines and hearing aids in close cooperation with hospital pharmacies, hearing clinics and suppliers. This secures more cost-effective healthcare solutions.