COVID, Smallpox, Monkeypox and Foot-and-mouth disease are all reminders of the new ‘age of epidemics’ we’re living in. And that’s just in Australia.
Vaccine availability and affordability are top of the list in navigating through epidemics. The Health Department has recognised concerns about the supply of other therapeutics through a Medicines Supply Security Guarantee. Given Australia’s reliance on vaccines and other medications coming from offshore, we should also consider drug quality.
Australia imports the majority of its medicines, and while most come from Europe and the US, they in turn source a lot of active pharmaceutical ingredients from India and China.
