Germany faces pharmaceutical supply shortages and pharmacy closures

Germany is grappling with significant pharmaceutical supply shortages and structural changes in pharmacy availability. In 2025, the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) received 1,514 reports regarding 1,041 supply bottlenecks. Psychotropic drugs were particularly affected, with antipsychotic shortages lasting an average of 230 days. Shortages in lipid-lowering agents and antibiotics potentially impacted over four million patients.

The Central Institute for Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (Zi) identifies the primary cause as the high concentration of active ingredient and excipient production among a few manufacturers, predominantly located in China and India. When shortages become critical, the Federal Ministry of Health may declare a supply shortage to allow temporary exceptions for importing alternative preparations.

Simultaneously, the pharmacy landscape is shifting due to closures and reorganized emergency services. In Bavaria, the number of pharmacies has decreased from over 3,400 fifteen years ago to current levels, with 800 closures reported. To manage emergency service distribution, authorities are implementing artificial intelligence to ensure residents generally do not have to travel more than 20 to 25 kilometers for urgent medication, while attempting to distribute the burden more equitably between urban and rural pharmacies.