The European Union is taking decisive steps to address the critical issue of medicine shortages, which have been exacerbated by its reliance on Asian production. Currently, Asia supplies a significant portion of Europe’s medicines, with 80-90% of antibiotics and a large share of active pharmaceutical ingredients coming from this region. This dependency poses a national security risk, prompting the EU to propose the Critical Medicines Act.
The Act seeks to bolster domestic medicine production by supporting European companies and ensuring a stable supply of essential drugs such as antibiotics, insulin, and painkillers. It also targets the production of vaccines and emergency care medicines, aiming to reduce shortages that have become a pressing concern across the continent.
To achieve this, the EU plans to implement a 'Buy European' strategy, incentivizing local production and reforming procurement processes to prioritize availability and reliability over the lowest cost. Faster approval processes and public funding are also proposed to encourage pharmaceutical manufacturing within Europe.
The initiative has been met with both support and criticism. While the move is largely welcomed as a necessary step towards greater self-reliance and security, concerns have been raised about the sufficiency of funding and the need for broader integration into Europe's security frameworks.
As the EU works to finalize these measures, it remains crucial that patients' needs guide the process to ensure the accessibility and availability of medicines. By addressing these issues, the EU aims to not only secure its medicine supply but also strengthen its overall health resilience in the face of future challenges.
