Can a Swedish hormone factory solve the estrogen shortage?

As the 2026 election approaches, Swedish political parties are intensifying their focus on improving menopause care, a growing concern fueled by a global shortage of essential estrogen treatments. Many women experience debilitating symptoms like brain fog, joint pain, and sleep disturbances, making the lack of hormone therapy a significant issue impacting their well-being and work lives.

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I have many friends who have this panic about finding the medication that suits them. This is a very important issue for women to feel good, which can also affect working life.

The Center Party, led by Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist, has proposed a unique solution: state-backed "emergency agreements" with pharmaceutical companies. These agreements would allow the government to secure targeted procurements at temporarily adjusted prices during shortages, guaranteeing deliveries and prioritizing Sweden's supply needs. Ringqvist believes this approach could incentivize manufacturers to allocate resources to the Swedish market.

Meanwhile, the Christian Democrats, represented by Social Minister Jakob Forssmed, are exploring a more self-sufficient strategy. Forssmed indicated that relevant authorities have been working diligently to improve access to hormone preparations, including streamlining processes for topical gels and patches. The government has even considered increasing the price of popular hormone patches to make the Swedish market more appealing to international drug companies.

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If you do it at the agency level, you can procure and get the volume needed for manufacturers to prioritize Sweden.

Despite these measures, the problem persists. Popular hormone patches are currently out of stock across all strengths, forcing women, particularly in northern Sweden, to travel to Finland to obtain estrogen. Forssmed suggested that to address the root cause of the global shortage, Sweden should consider establishing its own production of estrogen-based treatments, potentially utilizing the state-owned company APL, which already operates an antibiotic factory.

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The Swedish Medicines Agency has trimmed its processes, is now actively seeking out relevant companies and is handling licenses, dispensations and parallel imports very promptly.