The EU Commission wants to take action against the shortage of medicines in Europe. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is currently evaluating the market for important antibiotics, said EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides of the “Welt am Sonntag”. One consults with manufacturers, how the production capacities can be reconciled with the demand. She announced that part of the budget of the EU authority for crisis prevention and crises HERA, which this year includes 1.3 billion euros, could be used for stockpiling and procurement of medicines.
According to Kyriakides, the EU must ensure the supply of medicines “for all citizens at all times”. She spoke out in favor of a European early warning system and an EU list of critical drugs.
Numerous medicines are not available at all or only with difficulty in almost all EU countries. These include antibiotics, insulins and cancer therapies.