The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has shown that due to downtime in factories and disruptions in global transport, and due to increased demand for pharmaceuticals around the world, there may be a shortage of pharmaceuticals. Meanwhile, long-term shortages of life-saving drugs can cause greater losses among the population than many armed conflicts.
G. Rychwalski pointed out that the production of substances for the production of drugs in Europe will always be more expensive than in Asia, and drugs made of these substances will cost more. - This price difference is at the cost of drug safety, i.e. the guarantee of drug supplies even in crisis situations, which we have to bear. Hence the need for EU bodies to develop mechanisms to support the production capacity of pharmaceutical substances, he appealed.
He pointed out that an example of such a coordinated strategy could be the EU's plans to strengthen the European semiconductor ecosystem by attracting investment and increasing production capacity, as well as testing and assembling them in integrated plants and EU factories. Another direction could be the establishment of a system of subsidies for the production of these substances, similar to direct subsidies for agricultural production. The support system should compensate for the higher manufacturing costs in the EU to allow the pharmaceuticals price to be lowered and to compete with Asian products on the European market.
He added that Asia has long worked in its monopoly in the manufacture of pharmaceutical ingredients and will certainly do whatever it takes to maintain that status. Therefore, we must act with full determination and speed. It is also necessary to immediately intervene to support the pharmaceutical substances currently produced in the EU and not to allow the decrease in the production volume, which leads to the irreversible closure of the technological line. We will also need sales guarantees for pharmaceutical substances manufactured in the EU.
- In this way, we will build not only the health security of Europeans. The return of this production to the EU will stimulate economic development and create new jobs. It will increase the competitiveness of European manufacturers and the EU's resilience to future drug shortage crises. It will also help restore Europe to industrial leadership, he said.
MEP U. Muller from Germany informed that German pharmacies are currently struggling with drug shortages and must limit them. - That is why the petition of the National Drug Manufacturers is very timely and should remain open - she said. Leaving the petition open means starting work on it.
MEP K. Złotowski from Poland added that support from the European Commission is needed - both appropriate regulations and funds for the construction of production lines, investments and staff training. - The Committee on Petitions should ask the European Commission about plans to support the relocation of production to the EU - he appealed. Moreover, he asked the President of the Commission to draft a short resolution of the European Parliament, of which the petition's conclusions would be an essential part.
MEP J. Duda from Poland pointed out that although the petition comes from Poland, the problem concerns the whole of Europe, and the countries most dependent on pharmaceutical supplies from Asia are Denmark and Belgium. "Therefore, if we are to be safe, Europe must focus on production at home," he said.
A. Agius Saliba, chairman of the Committee on Petitions, announced the commencement of work on the resolution of the European Parliament calling on the European Commission to take concrete urgent actions. He obliged the European Commission to prepare a written answer to a question about action plans to restore pharmaceutical production in the EU. Three committees of the European Parliament will be working on the petition: the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection.
Source: PZPPF
