This was in a nordic newspaper, I think in Stockholm, and I am told it says that Merck has cut down the supply of both Sinemet and Sinemet CR in Sweden, to a drastic extent. Wise decision, since the drug pushers recently added in a warning that L-Dopa, not just agonists, causes hypersexuality. If there is one country in the world where you don't want more hypersexuality, it is definitely Sweden. Have you ever been to a nightclub in Stockholm on a Friday night? Definitely not a place to take Viagra. You would not survive the evening.
But although it is a wise decision to prevent even more crazed sexuality in Sweden, it still leaves lingering doubts, such as, by what criteria are some countries, such as Australia, totally cut off; others, such as the UK, Switzerland and Sweden, get drastically reduced supplies, others, such as Canada, announce a shortage and then suddenly say they were just kidding.
And in countries getting just some supply, by what criteria do they choose who deserves the drugs and which PWP we could do without anyway. And how come Sinemet production shut down in different countries, and in different companies, all at the same time? I keep calling Merck but their telephone appears to be off the hook. Here's the article:
inemet Depot snart slut
Läkemedelsverket meddelar att det snart blir brist på Parkinsonmedlen Sinemet Depot och Sinemet Depot Mite i alla länder, däribland Sverige. Restsituationen beräknas kvarstå under hela 2010.
Lagret av kombinationsläkemedlet Sinemet Depot Mite (karbidopa/levodopa 25 mg/100 mg) beräknas ta slut kring månadsskiftet februari/mars och lagret av Sinemet Depot (karbidopa/levodopa 50 mg/200 mg) kring månadsskiftet april/maj.
Det finns också två generiska depotprodukter, Levodopa/Carbidopa från Ratiopharm och Levocar från Sandoz.
– Om också depotalternativen tar slut, kan det bli problem. Då får man använda vanlig Sinemet eller Madopark Depot, säger docent Olof Sydow, överläkare, Neurologiska kliniken, Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset och medlem i expertgruppen för neurologi.