Having just published on Wednesday 8 April new guidelines to optimise the supply and availability of essential medicines during the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Commission is now sounding out Member States on the advisability of launching new common public procurement markets.
According to several sources, these new common public procurement contracts could concern investigational therapeutics, such as chloroquine, or new protective equipment, such as masks (see EUROPE 12461/7).
At present, three common procedures – for protective equipment, ventilators and laboratory equipment respectively – have been launched. For the one on protective equipment, the first one to be launched, the offers have been selected and are in the process of being signed. A new call for tenders would allow countries that have not had the opportunity, such as Finland, the United Kingdom and Poland, to participate.
“There’s a difference between signing contracts and having products in hospitals”, said one source sardonically, pointing out that some of the proposals in this process were for delivery in February 2021. “The crisis will continue, so we can never have too much of it”, continues this source, which mentions, in the best case scenario, the establishment of strategic stockpiles.
Ensuring access to essential medicines
In the immediate term, the Commission has published guidelines on the supply and demand for medicines, which are under increasing pressure with the pandemic. “We cannot afford to have shortages of life-saving medicines at such a critical time”, said Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides.
The guidelines, which take the form of a Commission Recommendation, are addressed to the Member States and “are also relevant for members of the European Economic Area”. They call for solidarity, ensuring an adequate supply of medicines, ensuring their optimal use in hospitals and regulating sales in pharmacies to avoid stockpiling. Again, the Commission recommends the lifting of export restrictions, which are still in force in some Member States (such as the Czech Republic or Romania). It also suggests, among the other avenues being considered, to allow for the extension of expiry dates or to consider temporarily limiting online sales of essential medicines. See guidelines: https://bit.ly/2xh78CT (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)