Europe's dependence on China and India for the production of medicines, highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic, will be a specific point in the pharmaceutical strategy to be presented at the end of 2020. This is according to the online newspaper Euractiv, which has had access to the European Commission's draft roadmap.
This roadmap was supposed to be published on 11 March, but this step seems to have been postponed because of the coronavirus crisis facing Europe. Roadmaps generally aim to describe the problems to be solved and the objectives to be achieved, to explain why EU action is needed and to describe the policy options available to decision-makers.
According to Euractiv, the European Commission intends to review the regulation on orphan and paediatric medicines, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) fee legislation and the 2001 pharmaceutical legislation. It also envisages non-legislative actions, including a plan to address drug shortages. The Commission wishes to review the incentives and obligations related to the production of medicinal products. According to the Commission, "the EU's regulatory presence and global influence should be supported in order to achieve a level playing field for EU companies through harmonised international standards for the quality and safety of medicines", the information website highlights.
According to figures compiled by the newspaper Libération, 80% of the active ingredients in medicines sold in Europe and 40% of finished medicines come from China (two-thirds) and India (one-third). These two countries produce 60% of the world's paracetamol, 90% of penicillin, 50% of ibuprofen while 60% of the world's vaccine production (90% for measles vaccine) is concentrated in India. However, during the Covid-19 crisis, India chose to limit the export of dozens of drugs, such as paracetamol, in order to favour its domestic market. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)