What to do when your medicine is out of stock in Spain

Key rules

• Treatment: Do not stop your medicine; ask for an equivalent first.
• Substitution: A pharmacist can swap only to the same active ingredient, dose, form and route, and only if your doctor has not excluded it.
• Foreign medicine: Your doctor or hospital pharmacy requests it for you; you cannot import it yourself.

Start with the pharmacist and the official supply list

If a box is unavailable, do not stop your treatment. Ask the pharmacist for an equivalent, and check the AEMPS supply problems list yourself. The AEMPS is Spain's medicines agency. Its supply problems database sits inside its CIMA website.

Search by medicine name, active ingredient or código nacional (the national code printed on the box). Open the entry to see the dates, whether the problem is expected to be resolved, and any suggested alternatives. The medicine's own CIMA page also shows a supply problem flag. The data change often, and the recovery date is only an estimate.

What the pharmacist can and cannot swap

The pharmacist cannot freely swap your medicine. A substitute is allowed only if your doctor has not excluded substitution and the substitute has the same active ingredient, dose, form and route of administration. This works most easily when your prescription names the active ingredient.

When a shortage is documented, the pharmacist can also replace the product with an equivalent one under the AEMPS rules. The pharmacist must record the substitution.

If there is no equivalent

1. The pharmacist can try another pharmacy or order from the wholesaler. Delivery usually takes hours.
2. If that fails, go back to your doctor and ask for a different drug or presentation.
3. If the medicine is not sold in Spain at all, ask your doctor or hospital pharmacy about a foreign medicine.

Foreign medicines

You cannot import the medicine yourself, and community pharmacies cannot import for individuals. The AEMPS can authorise a foreign medicine. The hospital pharmacy or your treating doctor requests it for you by name, with a medical justification and your consent. The product is delivered to the hospital or a designated pharmacy. Who pays and how the process works differ by hospital and region, so ask the hospital pharmacy.

Hospital-only medicines follow different details. Ask your hospital pharmacy.

The decision guide, checklist and questions below walk you through these steps.

Choosing between options

Who do you turn to when your medicine is out of stock?

• Ask the pharmacist for a substitute: Your prescription does not exclude substitution and an equivalent has the same active ingredient, dose, form and route.

• Ask the pharmacist to try another pharmacy or the wholesaler: No equivalent exists, but the product itself is still supplied. The wholesaler usually delivers within hours.

• Go back to your doctor: The pharmacist cannot find the product or an equivalent. Your doctor can prescribe a different drug or presentation.

• Ask your doctor or hospital pharmacy about a foreign medicine: The medicine is not sold in Spain or is in shortage with no alternative. They request authorisation for you by name.

Check the AEMPS supply problems page first. Then start with a same-ingredient substitute and move down the list only if the previous option fails, so treatment is not interrupted.

Checklist

• Search your medicine by name, active ingredient or national code (código nacional) in the supply problems section of the AEMPS CIMA website.

• Ask the pharmacist for an equivalent with the same active ingredient, so your treatment is not interrupted.

• Ask your doctor for a different drug or presentation if the pharmacist has no equivalent.

Frequently asked questions

Can I import my medicine myself if it is out of stock?

No, you cannot import it yourself, because the request has to come from your doctor or a hospital pharmacy. They ask the AEMPS, Spain's medicines agency, to authorise a foreign medicine (medicamento extranjero) for you by name.

Who requests a foreign medicine when none is sold in Spain?

Your treating doctor or the hospital pharmacy service makes the request, with a clinical justification and your consent. The AEMPS authorises it. The medicine is then delivered to the hospital or a designated pharmacy.

Does the pharmacist have to find my medicine at another pharmacy?

No, but they can try another pharmacy or order it from the wholesaler, who usually delivers within hours. Ask them to do this before you go back to your doctor. If it still cannot be found, your doctor can prescribe a different drug or presentation.