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“A lack of medicines and structural dependencies in our pharmaceutical supply chain endanger the health of Europeans,” Health Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi warned when presenting the proposal in Strasbourg.
According to Varhelyi, the number of reports of shortages has systematically increased since 2013, peaking in 2019 with more than 14,000 reports in one year. Due to a global crisis such as COVID-19, geopolitical tensions, and a large dependence on a small number of Asian countries for raw materials, shortages have become even more visible.
Under the proposed regulation, companies investing in production capacity in the EU will have easier access to financing and can benefit from accelerated administrative, regulatory and scientific support. The Commission also has guidelines on state aid ready to assist member states in supporting strategic projects related to medicine production in the EU. It also encourages member states to use government procurement to diversify the supply chain and supports member states that wish to make joint purchases.
The Belgian Minister of Health Frank Vandenbroucke has long put the issue on the European agenda. He calls the proposal a step in the right direction but adds that “it does not meet the seriousness of the situation and lacks the urgency needed to ensure our healthcare and safety.” He says the plan provides insufficient funding and lacks a joint strategy for building up reserve stocks of essential medicines.
Vandenbroucke, together with ten European colleagues, published a letter urging the use of funds from the new defense plan to protect access to medicines. “Europe can no longer be solely dependent on China for the production of medicines. The safety and health of all of us depend on it.”