Tamoxifen shortage ends in Czechia: pharmacies to receive 10,000 packs of breast cancer drug

Czech pharmacies are finally seeing an end to the shortage of tamoxifen, a drug used to treat breast cancer. According to Health Minister Adam Vojtěch (ANO), pharmacies will receive more than 10,000 additional packs of the medication today and over the coming days, with further deliveries to follow.

The Ministry of Health says supplies of the drug should now stabilise, and the necessary volumes have already been reserved for the autumn period as well.

Pharmacies had been temporarily issuing unregistered alternatives

The tamoxifen shortage had grown so severe that pharmacies, with ministry approval, began issuing patients medications containing the same active substance that were not officially registered in Czechia — simply to ensure women could continue their treatment uninterrupted. Pharmacies can still dispense batches already imported under this special treatment programme, but no new applications for such imports will be accepted going forward.

The ministry believes that, thanks to restored supplies, this emergency measure is unlikely to be needed again, as market demand should now be fully met through regular channels. The National Institute of Public Health advises patients who still can't find the drug at their pharmacy to try other pharmacy locations, or, if necessary, to contact their doctor or an oncology centre.

Who needs this medication

Statistics show that around 7,900 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in Czechia every year, while the disease is considerably rarer among men. As explained on the website of a leading medical association, tamoxifen is prescribed to women after surgery or radiation therapy to eliminate microscopic remnants of the disease, as well as in the treatment of advanced tumours. It is a synthetic non-steroidal anti-oestrogen that binds to receptors in cells, thereby blocking the action of oestrogen hormones.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz