Malaga pharmacies report short supply of medicine for severe high blood pressure because of its popularity as baldness treatment

In recent months, the circulation on social media of videos about the drug's potential benefits in combating hair loss has brought it into the spotlight, in a phenomenon reminiscent of what happened with Ozempic.

Loniten is among the medicines that appear in the highest number of shortage reports in Malaga province in recent weeks. The top one is Kreon, used to treat exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, which is common in patients with cystic fibrosis or chronic pancreatitis. Then come Bijuva, a hormone treatment indicated for relieving the symptoms of the menopause, and Tobrex, an ophthalmic antibiotic used to treat bacterial eye infections, such as conjunctivitis.

Hypertension is characterised by persistently high blood pressure and is one of the main cardiovascular risk factors, which is why it is essential to monitor it. Treatment, however, is not just about taking a pill. Dietary changes and exercise, as well as weight loss, giving up smoking and moderating alcohol consumption go hand in hand with the medicine.

One in three adults in Malaga province has high blood pressure, according to estimates from the SEC (Spanish society of cardiology), which states that this condition affects 33 per cent of Spaniards between the ages of 30 and 79. This would amount to around 330,000 people in Malaga in that age group, enough to fill the Rosaleda stadium eleven times over with people suffering from high blood pressure alone.

According to pharmaceutical sources, there is not "shortage" of Loniten, per se, but rather a "recurring lack", which is when a pharmacy regularly finds that a particular medicine is unavailable when it tries to order or dispense it. "With Loniten, there are days and weeks when it's not available. We have to go to the trouble of finding it and there's a shortage building up."

Although there are many other medicines for high blood pressure, it's not simply a matter of prescribing another one. "The problem with high blood pressure is finding the one that suits the patient: you have to prescribe it, the patient has to try it for a few days, check their blood pressure and, if it was already under control with Loniten, they now have to go to the doctor to have it changed to another one and monitor it for a while to see if it's working," pharmaceutical spokesperson Alberto Barrionuevo explains.

The situation is similar to what happened with Ozempic. GLP-1 agonists, such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Saxenda and Mounjaro, have revolutionised the treatment of obesity and diabetes, with weight loss of up to almost 30 per cent. Their popularity has caused sales to soar by 157 per cent in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period the previous year.

Although a prescription is required, the national health service only covers these medicines for diabetics. Their use for weight loss, combined with illegal purchases without a prescription, has contributed to shortages in pharmacies across Malaga since 2022.

Between January and September 2023, more than 30,000 units were sold in the province, although distributors estimated they could have supplied 40 per cent more had they had sufficient stock. According to Barrionuevo, this problem has not arisen since last year, but Luda Partners' digital pharmacies network compares the situation with Loniten to the Ozempic one.

According to Luda Partners, the difficulties in accessing Loniten have continued to grow in recent months. As such, the number of reports recorded on its platform per thousand accounts rose from 5.8 in April to 32.2 in September, representing a 455 per cent increase. The reason is that more and more men are using it to prevent hair loss.

The worst thing is that the problem is beginning to spread to other forms of minoxidil: Minogal, authorised in Spain as an oral minoxidil at the start of this year, authorised to treat severe, resistant high blood pressure, not alopecia, is the most significant example.

In the first half of October, it recorded three times as many incidents of supply shortages as in the whole of September. Added to this is the fact that the Aemps has included certain generic forms of 50 mg/ml minoxidil on its list of supply issues, although it points out that equivalent alternatives are available.

Due to a shortage of supplies, the head of Loniten is carrying out a controlled distribution of the medicine.

Pharmacists in the Luda network point out that supply issues have a direct impact on patients. "When a medicine is unavailable, the problem is not simply that it cannot be dispensed that day. Many patients delay taking their medicine, interrupt their treatment or stop it altogether whilst looking for an alternative. This loss of adherence can compromise the effectiveness of the treatment and worsen disease control, particularly in the case of chronic conditions," the network warns.

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