Loniten is among the medications with the most reported shortages in the province. Its active ingredient, minoxidil, is also used against alopecia.
The Spanish Agency of Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) considers the situation of the drug Loniten, authorised in Spain for severe hypertension, to be a supply issue. Its active ingredient, minoxidil, is also used to treat hair loss, which has strained availability across the country, including in pharmacies in the province of Málaga. According to Diario Sur, the spokesperson for the Pharmacy Office of the Official College of Pharmacists of Málaga, Alberto Barrionuevo, speaks of a "recurring shortage" and dismisses the idea of a widespread supply crisis.
The incidents coincide with those recorded by the digital network Luda Partners, which specializes in real-time tracking of medications with supply issues, covering 20% of the pharmacies in the province. According to this platform, notifications per thousand records rose from 5.8 in April to 32.2 in September, a 455% increase, attributing the rise to more men using it to prevent hair loss.
In Málaga, Loniten ranks tied for third place, alongside Tobrex, among the medications with the most reported shortages in recent weeks. Ahead are Kreon, indicated for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, and Bijuva, a hormonal treatment for menopausal symptoms.
"With Loniten, we have days and weeks when it’s unavailable, we have to work to find it, a shortage is being generated"
Barrionuevo warns that this is not a one-off shortage. The problem also affects Minogal, an oral minoxidil approved in Spain earlier this year for resistant severe hypertension. In the first half of October, it recorded three times more incidents than in the entire month of September. The AEMPS also includes some generic presentations of minoxidil at 50 mg/ml in its list of supply issues, although it notes that equivalent alternatives exist.
The holder of Loniten conducts a controlled distribution of the medication. Pharmacists emphasize that for a patient already stabilised on this drug, the change is not automatic: it must go through the doctor, who will assess another antihypertensive, and the patient must check for a period that it suits them well.
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