The increasing prevalence of shortages around the EU is a key concern for Affordable Medicines Europe. Parallel trade is occasionally mentioned as one of the causes. One such myth is the unidirectional travel of medicines from low-income to high-income countries. In this study we update the facts around the parallel trade flows in Europe, first documented in 2018. We hope it will contribute to a sound discussion of shortages and how all stakeholders in the medicines supply chain can contribute in alleviating them.