Need someone who speaks Spanish to get full story from Taray PD org in Madrid.
Best contact: Francisco Fernández Cimas
Vicepresidente
Asociación Nacional Parkinson TARAY

Feb. 17: Spain – rebel group of Parkies demand that their government take legal action against Merck, not civil lawsuits for damages… criminal charges.
Feb. 21: Merck suddenly starts to communicate. They can rip off supplies from other countries where they are not facing time in federal penitentiary. And the production problem? What production problem? Who every made you think there was a production problem?

(Rough translation by Google)

17 feb 2010
Dear Sir

DISINFORMATION FROM THE MINISTER OF HEALTH (Spain)
…The Minister of Health, Trinidad Jimenez, was asked what had happened to the Parkinson's drug shortage, to which the Minister failed to respond. The Minister must know what is happening as a person who has to ensure the health and welfare of the citizens of this country, some people with a neurodegenerative disease, incapacitating and disabling.
It seems very strange that the Minister is unaware of the situation when the National Association of People with Parkinson TARAY, after doing their own research on the 4th of this month comes in contact with the company in commercializing the drug MSD Spain (Sinemet) and they tell us they have no stock of the drugs and they are looking for a supplier they cannot restore the domestic market until 2011.
From this moment, our group has been in contact with the Department of Pharmacy who is in the same building as the Minister of Health, from whom we have had no response whatsoever. We also got in touch with the Spanish Agency of Medicines; after much stress tell us they have obtained a commitment by the MSD.
Gentlemen, these are not commitments, these are obligations that the company has to fulfill certain laws, which must have a minimum of stock and if they fail the law requires they be punished like any citizen, they are playing with the health of many people.
Who is to deceive, if the 4th of this month there is no medication in stock…., if they have the supplier of the active ingredient? How can already supply the market?
Not if you understand it but I do not understand anything and the Minister and the Federation of People with Parkinson’s being quiet as if nothing happened…

Muchas gracias
Atentamente
Francisco Fernández Cimas
Vicepresidente Asociación Nacional Parkinson TARAY
Manuel Serrano, 23
28300 Aranjuez (Madrid)

Spanish version (it was in many newspapers in Spain)(:
http://www.hispanidad.com/noticia.aspx?ID=134276

http://www.extremaduraaldia.com/cart...dad/96191.html

From PD website in Spain -
“This is the latest information that we control the company MSD”

Letter from Merck (MSD) in response:

Parkinson Association TARAY
Mr. D. Francisco Fernandez
Vice - Presidente
Asociación Nacional Parkinson TARAY
Manuel Serrano, 23
28300 Aranjuez (Madrid)

February 21, 2010

Dear Mr. Fernandez:

I am writing to inform you that thanks to the quick intervention of the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) belonging to the Ministry of Health and Social Policy, which has been evaluated with the highest priority the proposed new manufacturer for the active ingredient levodopa our product for Parkinson's disease Sinemet ® (carbidopa-Ievodopa), this manufacturer has been approved and we have begun to produce the active ingredient.

This good news will resolve partial or limited availability of
Sinemet previously announced in our country until 2011. Obtaining this
allow health approval in mid-March this year to start
levodopa product manufactured from the new source of supply.

As for the situation today and until you start available
medicine for the new manufacturer, we inform that standardization has been achieved thanks to divert supply to our country medicine from other countries in the European Union, although problems can still occur in submitting timely supply of Sinemet 25/100 mg PLUS until the situation has returned completely at the end of March.

We remind that in our country there are now other drugs
available with the same composition, exchangeable for the pharmacist, and patients may also consult with their doctors about these alternative treatments available in our country.

We will keep you informed about the full normalization of supply
product when we have new information during the month of March. Do not hesitate to contact us by phone for any clarification 913210843 relevant.

Sincerely,

Carmen Lopez-Lavid
Communications Director, MDS

In Spanish, (near the bottom of the front page):
http://www.aep-taray.org/portal/
That seems to have been replaced by a complaint about Mirapex being in shortage:
Escrito por Parkinson Taray Martes, 15 de Junio de 2010 00:00
Posible desabastecimiento de medicamentos en todo el territorio Nacional
Carta mandada al Ministerio de Sanidad, AEMPS y a las Consejerías Sanidad de todas las comunidades Autónomas
Estimado Señor Alfonso Jiménez: DIRECTOR GENERAL DE FARMACIA En una reunión mantenida con Usted la Presidenta de la Asociación Nacional de Enfermos de Parkinson Taray Mercedes Villalobos y yo Francisco Fernández le expresamos nuestro malestar por lo que estaba sucediendo con los mayoristas distribuidores de medicamentos en España, a lo que Usted nos contesto que estaban estudiando sacar una Ley o una normativa para que no pudieran quedar desabastecido el mercado Nacional, como Usted recordara de esto ya hace mucho tiempo, pues bien este problema no solo sigue ocurriendo con los distribuidores mayoritarios en España sino que ahora muchas farmacias en todo el territorio Nacional están pidiendo los medicamentos directamente a los Laboratorios, unas cantidades que oscilan entre 240 y 320 envases mensuales a lo largo del los últimos meses cantidades que es imposible que puedan suministrar en su demarcación, porque nadie se puede creer que puedan tener tal cantidad de Enfermos de Parkinson en su zona, según conversaciones con el propio laboratorio (que tampoco puede probarlo nos sospechamos que puedan estar sacando estos medicamentos a través de intermediarios fuera de España) lo que supondría un desabastecimiento del mercado Nacional, lo cual ya está empezando asuceder. (Me estoy refiriendo al medicamento llamado Mirapexin deBoehringer)
Señor Alfonso Jiménez a través del Ministerio o de la Agencia delMedicamento Ustedes pueden recabar esta información que las farmacias no le dan ni al propio Laboratorio de a quien suministran estos medicamentos, porque la situación puede agravarse considerablemente en perjuicio de los afectados de esta Enfermedad, Algunos Neurólogos ya les están llamando directamente al Laboratorio diciendo que está pasando que no tiene Miraprexin por que no lo suministran y el Laboratorio se ve impotente ante la situación acaecida, creo Señor Jiménez que de una vez por todas tanto a los Mayoristas como a las farmacias se les tenía que poner en su sitio, que el mercado Nacional es lo primero, por cierto yo creía que las Farmacias estaban única y exclusivamente para suministrar medicamentos a los pacientes no para lucrarse a costa de ellos.
El Laboratorio tiene una base de datos la cual a mi no me puede facilitar de todas las Farmacias Españolas que están pidiendo estas cantidades que le comento y a Ustedes como administración sí que se la pueden dar o Ustedes sí que se la pueden exigir, ellos están dispuestos a solucionar este problema lo antes posible por el bien de todos
Reciba un cordial saludo
Mercedes Villalobos
Presidenta Francisco
Fernández Cimas
Vicepresidente
Asociación Nacional Parkinson TARAY
C/ Manuel Serrano
nº 23Aranjuez 28300
MdridTeléfono 649192114
parkinson@aep-taray.org

Google translation:

Written by Parkinson Taray Tuesday, June 15, 2010 00:00

Possible shortages of medicines across the national territory

Letter sent to the Ministry of Health, AEMPS and Health Ministries of all the autonomous communities

Dear Mr Alfonso Jiménez: DIRECTOR GENERAL OF PHARMACY At a meeting with you the President of the National Association of People with Parkinson Taray Mercedes Villalobos Francisco Fernandez and I express our displeasure about what was happening with the wholesale drug distributors in Spain, You tell us what answer they were looking out a law or legislation lest they were cut National Market, as you remember this long ago, well this problem is not only happening with major distributors in Spain, but now many pharmacies across the country are asking for the drugs directly to the Laboratories, amounts ranging between 240 and 320 containers per month over the past months that it is impossible quantities to provide within its authority, because nobody can believe that they have so many Parkinson's sufferers in their area, according to conversations with our own laboratory (which we suspect can not prove that taking these drugs may be through an intermediary outside Spain) implying a shortage of domestic market which is already beginning asuceder. (I am referring to the drug Mirapexin deBoehringer)

Mr Alfonso Jiménez through the Ministry or the Agency delMedicamento You can take this information that pharmacies do not allow it at the same laboratory who supply these drugs, because the situation could worsen considerably to the detriment of those affected by this disease, some Neurologists and are calling them directly to the laboratory saying is happening is not that Miraprexin not supplied and the Laboratory is powerless before the situation occurred, I think Mr. Jimenez that once and for all as both wholesalers to pharmacies I had to put in place the national market is the first, by the way, I thought that pharmacy was solely to provide medicines to patients, not for profit at their expense.

The Laboratory has a database which I do not can be provided in all Spanish pharmacies are asking these quantities as you and I comment that the administration itself, or you can give that it may require, they are willing to solve this problem as soon as possible for the good of all

Yours sincerely

Mercedes Villalobos

President Francisco

Fernández Tops