Click on the continents displayed on the global map to view their pharmaceutical Surplus levels. This interactive feature lets you explore and compare surplus data for each continent in real-time.
Distribution Inefficiencies
Poor coordination across supply chain channels often leads to surpluses. Delays, logistical issues, or ineffective distribution networks can cause drugs to pile up in certain regions or facilities, resulting in a mismatch between supply and demand.
Demand Forecasting Errors
Inaccurate predictions about the market demand for certain medications lead to surplus when anticipated demand falls short. This may occur due to seasonal variations, unexpected changes in disease patterns, or shifts in prescribing trends.
Supply Chain Disruptions
In some regions, logistical challenges such as inadequate infrastructure, political instability, or natural disasters can lead to delays in distribution. These disruptions can result in certain areas receiving surplus medications when demand has already decreased or shifted elsewhere.
Economic Barriers to Access
When patients in a region cannot afford medications, even those essential to public health, surplus stock can build up. Economic factors like high poverty rates or lack of insurance coverage limit demand, leaving large quantities of medicine unsold and eventually unusable.
Changes in Regional Health Policies
Sudden changes in government health policies, such as alterations in formulary lists, bans on certain medications, or shifts toward alternative treatments, can render existing pharmaceutical stocks unusable or unneeded in that region, causing a surplus.
Click on the continents on the global map to view the causes of pharmaceutical surplus in each continent.
Missed Opportunities for Global Health Equity
While some regions have surplus, others experience shortages. Unused or expired medications in one area represent a missed chance to improve health outcomes in underserved regions, where access to essential drugs is limited.
Financial Losses for Stakeholders
Pharmaceutical companies, healthcare providers, and distributors face financial strain from unsold stock. Expired or unsellable medications lead to sunk costs, reducing profitability and sometimes leading to higher drug prices as companies try to offset losses.
Increased Healthcare Inefficiencies
Surplus drugs require storage, management, and eventual disposal, consuming resources that could be used for other healthcare priorities. These inefficiencies can strain healthcare budgets, diverting funds from critical services and limiting overall care accessibility.
Environmental Harm from Disposal
When excess medications expire, they often end up in landfills or are incinerated, releasing harmful chemicals into the environment. Improper disposal, especially in regions with weak waste management systems, can lead to soil and water contamination, posing long-term risks to ecosystems and public health.
Public Health Risks from Misuse
Pharmaceutical surplus can increase the risk of expired or improperly stored drugs being circulated on the black market. People may unknowingly consume ineffective or harmful medications, which can lead to adverse health effects and undermine trust in healthcare systems.