When you ask Holger Seyfarth about his profession, he truthfully answers “pharmacist”. But sometimes he would like to add an additional description. Sorcerer’s Apprentice, for example. Under his white coat he sometimes feels like he is actually wearing a magic cloak. After all, he is expected day after day to make the seemingly impossible possible: to conjure up something out of nothing and to procure medicines that can no longer be obtained from wholesalers. He knows a lot of tricks and tricks. And he knows many sorcerer’s apprentices throughout Hesse, just like he is. Sometimes they help each other. More and more often, however, Seyfarth has to disappoint customers.
There are currently more than 270 drugs on the list of the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices. These include fever juices for children, but also drugs for the chronically ill, such as tamoxifen, a drug that is often prescribed to breast cancer patients. Seyfarth, who is also chairman of the Hessian Association of Pharmacists, fears that things could get even worse in the fall. It is already becoming apparent that the production of typical cold products such as nasal spray is not guaranteed. “We always got something from somewhere. But we’ve been doing that for years. At some point the last drop will be sucked.”