Critical Medicines Alliance gains momentum under Belgian presidency
By Nicole Verbeeck | Euractiv’s Advocacy Lab
Critical Medicines Alliance gains momentum under Belgian presidency – Euractiv
Critical medicines are rapidly disappearing from European markets, Belgian Health Minister, Frank Vandenbroucke, told the European Parliament’s Environment Committee (ENVI), emphasising the need for urgent action.
Basic medicines, essential to the functioning of European healthcare systems are rapidly disappearing from Europe’s marketplace. Vandenbroucke told members of ENVI that: “26% of generic medicines disappeared from the EU market in the past ten years. For 69% [of products], we only have one or two producers left.”
Hugues Malonne, CEO of the Belgian Federal Agency for Medicines and Healthcare Products (FAMPH) underlined the persistent shortage of medicines as a critical bottleneck. “In Belgium alone, 757 packages are currently unavailable or only available in limited quantities, reflecting a situation mirrored to varying degrees across EU countries, as indicated by the EMA shortages catalogue”, he told Euractiv.
Recognising the gravity of the issue, the EU took swift action. “We now have a solidarity mechanism, a Union List of Critical Medicines and a Critical Medicines Alliance – all of which will be further tested, refined and implemented under the Belgian Presidency”, said Vandenbroucke.
“I am really proud about the leadership Europe is showing in this field. We are taking matters into our own hands. Thanks to the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), I believe we can now say that we are one step ahead. That is no small feat”, he said.
According to the Belgian health minister, the Presidency will prioritise the chapter on shortages in pharmaceutical legislation negotiations and try to reach an intermediate compromise.
“We also await the publication of a stockpiling strategy and guidelines on the public procurement of medicines before the end of term”, he added.
The cornerstone of this initiative is the launch of the Critical Medicines Alliance, a pivotal step in ensuring patients consistently have access to the medicines they require. Heads of Medicines Agencies gathered under the auspices of the Belgian Presidency, welcomed the Alliance and stressed the importance of synergy, coordination, and cooperation for the work being done within the European Medicines Regulatory Network.
Manufacturing in Europe
With the Alliance involving member states, pharmaceutical companies and experts, the Belgian Presidency aims to secure medicines with the highest risk of shortages and boost Europe’s own production of critical medicines, such as antibiotics, blood thinners and insulin.
Bjorn Gens, health attaché at the Permanent Representation of Belgium to the EU, emphasised the necessity to reduce dependency and to upscale European production, commenting that Europe needs to reindustrialise and gear-up its pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Minister Vandenbroucke’s agenda during the presidency encompasses three main challenges. In addition to prioritising shortages and addressing the affordability of new therapies, attention is directed towards the demographic challenge of an ageing population and a shrinking health workforce.
Simultaneously, efforts are made to prepare for the crisis challenge, encompassing the climate crisis, the silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and other potential crises. As Vandenbroucke said, “We hope this programme can feed into the strategic agenda of the next Commission and ensure that health remains a top priority for the next term.”
[By Nicole Verbeeck, Edited by Vasiliki Angouridi, Brian Maguire| Euractiv’s Advocacy Lab ]