SLCPI Calls for Urgent Action to Prevent Medicine Shortages in Sri Lanka

The Sri Lanka Chamber of the Pharmaceutical Industry (SLCPI) has called for urgent action to prevent a looming medicine shortage crisis in Sri Lanka, warning that growing pressure on the pharmaceutical supply chain could affect the country’s ability to ensure uninterrupted access to essential and life saving medicines.

The Chamber cautioned that unless immediate and practical steps are taken, Sri Lanka could face increasing shortages across both private and public healthcare channels, placing patients, hospitals, pharmacies, and the wider healthcare system under serious strain. It stressed that this is no longer simply a challenge for the pharmaceutical sector. It is now a national issue with direct implications for public health, continuity of care, and the country’s ability to respond to everyday and emergency medical needs.

According to SLCPI, a combination of rising global supply chain costs, exchange rate pressures, freight and fuel increases, import licence related delays, and escalating compliance and clearance expenses is making it increasingly difficult to maintain the uninterrupted flow of medicines into the country. Sri Lanka remains heavily dependent on imported pharmaceuticals and imported raw materials, making it especially vulnerable to global volatility and domestic delays.

The Chamber stressed that medicines are not ordinary products. They are essential to daily treatment, emergency care, chronic disease management, and life saving interventions. Their availability depends on a highly regulated and carefully managed supply chain. From sourcing and quality assurance to temperature controlled storage, secure transportation, compliant handling, and timely import clearance, every stage plays a vital role in ensuring that safe and effective medicines reach the people who need them.

Over recent months, this system has come under increasing pressure. Fuel prices have risen by around 38 percent, with the possibility of further increases still ahead. Freight charges have gone up by over 40 percent, while global prices of active pharmaceutical ingredients, solvents, and packaging materials have also climbed sharply, in some cases by up to 70 percent. At the same time, the depreciation of the Sri Lankan Rupee against the US Dollar has significantly increased the cost of imports, adding to the burden across the supply chain.

SLCPI noted that these pressures are being compounded by delays in the current import licence renewal and pricing review process. When medicines cannot move through the system on time, suppliers face growing difficulty in placing orders, clearing consignments, and maintaining regular availability. In a country such as Sri Lanka, where order volumes are relatively small and supply continuity depends on timely approvals and predictable systems, even short delays can quickly turn into stock limitations and wider disruptions.

“This is no longer just an industry issue. It is an issue of national preparedness and continuity of care. If urgent steps are not taken now, the country risks moving into a situation where medicine shortages become harder to avoid and even harder to recover from,” the Chamber said.

The Chamber warned that the consequences of inaction will be felt far beyond the industry itself. Patients could face delays in treatment or difficulty accessing essential medicines. Hospitals and pharmacies may come under increasing pressure as supply becomes less reliable. Doctors and healthcare providers may be forced to make difficult decisions in the face of limited availability. Families across the country could feel the impact most severely when medicines that should be consistently accessible become uncertain or delayed.

SLCPI also cautioned that prolonged pressure on the regulated pharmaceutical supply chain can create wider risks for the market and for public safety. When legitimate supply becomes more difficult to sustain, shortages and limited access can create space for unauthorised and illegal channels to enter the market. This increases the risk of substandard or falsified medicines reaching the public, further endangering patient health and undermining confidence in the healthcare system.

The Chamber emphasised that Sri Lanka must avoid reaching a point where the availability of safe, regulated medicines is compromised. The priority now must be to strengthen the systems that keep medicines moving, protect the integrity of the supply chain, and ensure that patients across the country continue to have access to the treatments they need without interruption.

In this context, SLCPI has urged authorities to take immediate and practical measures to stabilise the medicine supply chain. These include addressing delays in import licence processing, improving sequencing between import licence renewals and price reviews, and recognising the sharp escalation in operating, freight, exchange, and input related costs that are affecting the sustainability of supply.

“Sri Lanka must act now to prevent a medicine shortage crisis. The cost of inaction will be felt in delayed treatment, reduced availability, and growing pressure on patients, pharmacies, hospitals, and the wider healthcare system,” the Chamber added.

SLCPI reiterated that its position is guided by one central concern: ensuring that Sri Lankans continue to have uninterrupted access to safe, effective, and properly regulated medicines. The Chamber stated that it remains committed to working constructively with regulators and policymakers to support solutions that protect continuity of supply and public confidence.

As pressures continue to build, SLCPI called on all relevant stakeholders to treat the matter with urgency and to take coordinated action before today’s strain on the supply chain becomes tomorrow’s national medicine shortage.

Source: Adaderana