Best possible supply of drugs for COVID 19 therapy

Central contact points in each federal state assess demand and coordinate distribution

The federal and state governments have agreed on a new distribution scheme for COVID-19 therapy-relevant drugs that will ensure the best possible supply for Austrian hospitals: Each province will have a central COVID 19 pharmacy that will act as a so-called "single point of communication" (SPOC).

In the future, these pharmacies will be used to determine the demand for COVID 19 therapy-relevant drugs and to distribute them to the hospitals in the respective state.

At the state level, the medical coordinators define the total demand based on the number of COVID 19 patients cared for in hospitals or intensive care units. This number is reported to the respective COVID 19 pharmacies on a uniform nationwide cut-off date.

These take over the orders for their federal state and receive weekly deliveries of the federal state quota directly from pharmaceutical companies or wholesalers. Based on a dynamic distribution key, which is based on the COVID 19 patients cared for in the respective hospital, the regional distribution of the drugs to the hospitals is carried out.

For special programs in COVID 19 therapy, the Federal Office for Safety in Health Care (BASG) coordinates central distribution via the Federal Logistics Center. For example, 66,000 film-coated tablets containing the active ingredient hydroxychloroquine that were delivered to Austria as part of the worldwide Novartis/Sandoz Donation Program are delivered to COVID 19 pharmacies in the federal states and redistributed to hospitals according to the above scheme.

Conversely, the COVID 19 pharmacies report a possible need for drugs not authorized in Austria to the BASG, which checks and initiates further steps, e.g., the issuance of import permits.

Service: COVID 19 pharmacies in Austria

Burgenland: Institutional pharmacy Krankenhaus Barmherzige Brüder Eisenstadt Carinthia: Klagenfurt Clinic Lower Austria: St. Pölten University Clinic Upper Austria: Kepler University Clinic Salzburg: LKH Salzburg Clinic Styria: Graz-West Clinic Tyrol: Innsbruck University Clinic Vorarlberg: LKH Feldkirch Clinic Vienna: KFJ Clinic

Further inquiry note

basg_anfragen@basg.gv.at