Malaga's pharmacies suffer shortage of menopause medicines

Menopause hormone replacement therapy aims to compensate for the drastic drop in hormone levels (particularly oestrogen and progesterone) that occurs when the ovaries stop functioning. It is mainly used to relieve the symptoms of the menopause.

In certain cases, it may also be recommended to prevent bone loss, provided that your doctor considers that the benefits outweigh the potential risks.

In Malaga, experts estimate that there are around 9,000 women in this situation (including transgender women). This is based on an estimate by the AEEM (Spanish association for the study of menopause): 3.7 per cent of women going through menopause are undergoing hormone therapy.

Symptoms occur during the transition and in the years that follow. They can be debilitating: hot flushes and night sweats, sleep and mood disturbances, severe vaginal dryness, pain during sexual intercourse, itching or recurrent urinary tract infections (menopausal genitourinary syndrome).

Furthermore, oestrogen helps to maintain bone mass and hormone therapy reduces bone loss and the risk of fractures while it is being used.

If a patient stops treatment, symptoms may return, although the timing and severity vary from person to person. Finding the right dose and route of administration (patch, gel, spray or tablet) may require medical adjustments.

The severity of symptoms varies from woman to woman and may also change over time. They affect a woman's sleep, her personal relationships and her daily activities. For this reason, the lack of a specific presentation can make it difficult to manage these symptoms in patients who need to continue their treatment.

Bidafarma has identified supply issues with six specific forms of Evopad, Estradot, Oestraclin and Bijuva. The cooperative explained that the difficulties are due to various incidents at the supplier laboratories, some of which have been officially reported to the health authorities.

However, it pointed out that it has stocks of other presentations used in these treatments and that it is monitoring the situation to minimise the impact on pharmacies.

Luda Partners, a network of more than 3,700 pharmacies across Spain (20 per cent of the province's pharmacies are part of Luda), pointed out that in Malaga the medicine most frequently out of stock is Bijuva, followed by Duavive, Oestraclin and Evopad.

In recent weeks, these have been the menopausal hormone therapy medicines with the most reported shortages at Luda's pharmacies in Spain: Evopad, Bijuva, Oestraclin, Lenzetto and Duavive.

Luda had already reported on 22 July 2026 that there was a shortage of the Lenzetto formulation (1.52 mg/dose, a 6.5 ml bottle, 56 sprays). It explained that "the medicine had been on the Aemps (Spanish agency for medicines and Hhalth products) list of supply issues since 16 March", with no expected date for the supply to be restored.

The company's predictive system has been expecting this issue since 9 December 2025, when it warned that there was an over 80 per cent probability that the drug would face these problems.

Consequently, the number of supply shortages recorded in the previous six months rose by 257 per cent, compared to the concern previously caused by shortages of Ozempic and Concerta. Luda warned that the shortage was already beginning to shift demand towards other hormonal therapies, citing Bijuva as the most significant example.

The medicines listed are administered in two main ways: transdermally (through the skin) or orally (as tablets).

What can a user do if she cannot find her treatment?

The first thing is to stay calm, as the symptoms may return suddenly. It is also advisable to consult a healthcare professional. Ask your pharmacist about equivalent products, as they can check in real time whether the same medicine is available in a different format or pack size.

There are also treatment options for each individual case: most medicines contain the same hormone (oestradiol) but come in different forms (patches, gel, spray, tablets). If the patient is using a form that is not available, the doctor or gynaecologist can change the prescription to an equivalent formulation by adjusting the dose.

Furthermore, if the patient is taking combined capsules or tablets, the gynaecologist may temporarily prescribe the two components separately.

Review public health, medical care and clinical news