On Tuesday 11 March in Strasbourg, the European Commission is due to adopt legislation on critical medicines, with the aim of remedying market failures, in particular by setting up a common purchasing system (see EUROPE 13537/30).
This issue is one of the priorities of Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare Olivér Várhelyi, who was to adopt such a proposal (Critical Medicines Act) within 100 days of the Commission’s mandate.
During a debate on the subject on 3 March in the European Parliament’s Committee on Public Health, MEP Laurent Castillo (EPP, French) explained that he expected this proposal to provide direct financial incentives, “but subject to conditions of supply of the European market, with regard to pharmaceutical companies, particularly those producing established medicines. We must not wait until the next multiannual budget to do so”.
He also advocated new State aid rules for strategic sectors in which the EU is vulnerable, “more efficient and simpler” important projects of common European interest (IPCEI), and new public procurement rules so that price is no longer the sole selection variable. According to Mr Castillo, the proposal should contain provisions on incentives for collective purchases of established medicines and pre-purchases for new medicines. The creation of a European stock of medicines for hospital pharmacies is another of the MEP’s requests, as are measures to facilitate the movement of medicines from one country to another in the event of a crisis, with an “accessible electronic package leaflet”.
Tomislav Sokol (EPP, Croatian) felt that we should be less dependent on certain third countries, including the United States. Nicolás González Casares (S&D, Spanish) welcomed the possibility of joint purchasing and said it was unfair to provide incentives to companies that innovate by producing abroad rather than those producing in the EU.
The European Commission has indicated that it has taken account of the recent report by the Critical Medicines Alliance (see EUROPE 13590/7). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)