EU negotiators on Tuesday reached an agreement On rules that aim to strengthen the bloc’s supply chains for essential medicines and reduce its dependence on drug manufacturers outside the bloc.
The rules are aimed at tackling drug shortages that have occasionally hit the bloc over the past few years, where pharmacies have run out of some medicines, including painkillers, antibiotics and fever medicine for children.
What has the EU said about the drug agreement?
“With today’s agreement, we are taking practical action to reduce our vulnerabilities, diversify supply chains and strengthen Europe’s ability to produce critical medicines and their ingredients closer to home,” said Cyprus Health Minister Neophytes Charalambides, whose country currently holds the presidency of the EU Council.
Charalambides said people should no longer have to worry about whether they can get the medications they need from their pharmacy or hospital.
The agreed rules aim, among other things, to make it easier to use public funds to support the production of such medicines.
How will the rules on essential medicines work?
The new rules, which still need approval from EU member states and the European Parliament, give priority to medicines manufactured in Europe in cases of public procurement.
So-called strategic projects will also get faster approval and more rapid access to funding.
According to the European Commission, the rules will allow multiple countries to come together to buy critical medicines, particularly those used to treat rare diseases – an area where there is a shortage in the market.
Why is there a shortage of medicines in the EU?
The commission, which has suggested amending the rules in 2025, has identified several reasons why important medicines sometimes fall short on the block.
Among other things, it has cited constraints in the supply of active ingredients.
Furthermore – as became particularly evident during the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020 – the fact that production of some medicines is concentrated in a small number of countries could create supply problems, it said.
EU health ministers said last year that about 80% to 90% of medicines used in Europe come from Asia, above all from China.
Although it is something 900,000 people are employed in the pharmaceutical sector According to the Commission, in the E.U.
Edited by: Rana Taha