Medicine shortages in the EU: causes and solutions

16 Jul 2020 01:43 PM

Find out why there is a shortage of medicines, the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and how Parliament wants to improve the situation.

The Covid-19 health crisis has highlighted a growing problem: shortages of medicines and medical equipment that put patients at risk and national health systems under pressure.

In April 2020, the European University Hospital Alliance warned that rising demand in intensive care units for certain anaesthetics, antibiotics, muscle relaxants and medicines used in a way they were not originally approved for to treat Covid-19 could mean stocks run out.

Decreased production, logistical problems, export bans and stockpiling due to the health crisis further increased the risk of bottlenecks.

On 14 July, Parliament’s environment and publich health committee adopted a report calling for European health “independence” by securing supplies, restoring local drug manufacturing and ensuring better EU coordination of national health strategies.

 

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