On Tuesday, the European Parliament adopted proposals to enhance the availability and supply of essential medicines in the EU.
The report, adopted with 503 votes in favour, 57 against and 108 abstentions, aims to ensure a high level of public health protection for EU citizens by reducing the dependency of the EU on other countries and boosting the competitiveness of its pharmaceutical sector.
Strategic projects and priority funding
MEPs support the creation of industrial “strategic projects’” located in the EU to create, modernise and improve manufacturing capacity. They want national governments and the EU to prioritise financial support for strategic projects in the current budget and the EU’s next multiannual financial framework. Companies benefiting from public financial support must meet clear obligations, including prioritising supply to the EU market.
Procurement policy that supports EU production
Under their proposals, contracting authorities in the EU would need to apply procurement requirements that favour producers manufacturing a significant proportion of these critical medicines in the EU.
The report also highlights the benefits of voluntary cross-border procurement, to improve supply, notably for rare disease medicines, antimicrobials, and other innovative, high-cost, or specialised treatments. MEPs want to lower the number of countries that may engage in joint procurement procedures to at least five (compared to nine in the Commission’s initial proposal).
Improved coordination of national stockpiles
To better anticipate and manage shortages, MEPs call for the creation of an EU coordination mechanism for national stockpiles and contingency stocks of critical medicines. They also want the Commission to have the power to decide on, as a last resort, the redistribution of medicines from one national stockpile to one or more other countries, in instances where a shortage or a supply disruption has been identified.
