Include essential medicines in EU industrial policy plans, trade group says

Generics and biosimilars drug trade group Medicines for Europe has delivered a message to the European Union (EU).

The group has voiced its view that political ambitions to strengthen EU supply chain resilience following the pandemic will be unsuccessful unless economic and regulatory systemic reforms, such as on procurement, are put in place and provisions are made to access funds for the manufacturing of essential medicines.

"These are essential medicines that millions of people rely on daily and are first line in an emergency"To show the importance of its perspective, Medicines for Europe has stressed that off patent drugs account for 70% of those dispensed in the continent for the most prominent diseases such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular care, infectious diseases, and others. Between 70% and 90% of intensive care unit and emergency medicines are off patent. Meanwhile, the generics and biosimilars sector has more than 400 manufacturing sites in Europe.