EU’s Critical Medicines Act: A Major Milestone Or Too Weak?

Newly proposed legislation for bolstering the EU’s drug manufacturing capacity and reducing its overreliance on foreign manufacturers includes a number of measures, such as a requirement for EU countries to prioritize the security of supply over price when procuring drugs.

Medical Ampoule Production Line
New legislation proposes to strengthen drug manufacturing in the EU (Shutterstock)
Key Takeaways
  • The European Commission proposed its highly-anticipated Critical Medicines Act on 11 March.
  • The act includes a number of measures to tackle the shortage of critical medicines in the EU, strengthen drug manufacturing in the bloc and reduce its overreliance on foreign manufacturers.
  • Reaction to the proposed legislation has been mixed, with the EU drug industry association, EFPIA, saying it needs to go further.

A major milestone. A major step forward. Needs to go further. And falls far short of expectations.

These are some of the mixed reviews elicited by newly proposed rules that seek to tackle the shortage of critical medicines in the EU, strengthen drug manufacturing in the bloc...

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