Luxembourg's Ministry of Health has recalled the proper use of medication in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
To date, in the absence of formal proof of efficacy in the treatment or prevention of COVID-19 disease, no specific medicine is recommended to prevent or treat coronavirus infection. The situation and scientific knowledge about possible treatments for the disease are changing every day. In order to guarantee the correct use of available medicines, it is imperative to follow the recommendations issued by the health authorities.
The ministry added that people infected with the virus should receive appropriate care to relieve and treat symptoms and those who are critically ill should receive optimised supportive care. This is why the use of drugs for the management of COVID-19 patients must be done as a priority within the framework of ongoing clinical trials or on the basis of specific authorisations issued by the ministry. Their use for COVID-19 outside of the existing marketing authorisation requires close monitoring in order to assess the benefits and risks.
In this context, the Ministry of Health has called on the responsibility of all to avoid unnecessary hospitalisations following drug misuse and to allow caregivers to take care of COVID-19 patients in the best conditions. Within the Health Directorate, the Pharmacy and Medicines Division closely monitors cases of adverse reactions reported in the context of the pandemic and has reminded healthcare professionals of the duty to report suspected adverse reactions to be linked to a medicine, regardless of the conditions of its use.
According to the ministry, the COVID-19 pandemic has also highlighted the need to further strengthen the consideration of the specific needs of patients with rare diseases or serious pathologies. This is a vulnerable population, frequently dependent on a third party, presenting co-morbidities and often taking heavy drug treatments. People already treated with drugs for a chronic pathology are more likely to be the subject of multiple medication. This situation increases the iatrogenic risk. The prevention of these risks is part of the management of the proper use of medicines, which must be promoted.
In order to provide clear and precise preventive information on the risks associated with self- and multiple medication, centred on the needs expressed by patient associations, the Pharmacy and Medicines Division has developed several tools to promote good use of medicines in close collaboration with a patient representative:
- a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the proper use of medicines in the context of COVID-19, which is available on the government website;
- a reminder sheet, entitled “My list of medications”, intended for patients or their caregivers and which lists the medications taken regularly by the patient. It is available and downloadable online via the Health Portal.
Other actions and tools will be developed in the coming months in order to provide each patient with the most complete and accessible information possible on medicines and health products.
