EU warns drug shortages have reached record levels

The latest report of the European Court of Audit (ECA) said that drug shortages across the European Union (EU) have become more serious and reached a record level in the period 2023 - 2024.

Drug shortages in Europe are getting worse - Photo: REUTERS

According to the European Court of Audit (ECA), the lack of a common framework and supervisory tools applicable across the European Union (EU) makes the situation worse.

ECA President Klaus-Heiner Lehne said this was not only difficult for patients and a challenge for the health system, but also a sign that the EU was strategically vulnerable in the field of medicine supply.

According to Euro News on September 17, the ECA report said that from 2022 to October 2024, member countries reported 136 cases of serious drug shortages to the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

As of March, 34 medicines were in short supply, 16 of which are on the European Commission's list of essential medicines. These include thrombolytics for heart and stroke patients, amoxicillin, and cyanide antidotes.

The report points out that a major barrier is the fragmentation of data across countries, from inventory to drug shortage notifications to drug approval processes.

In Belgium, for example, manufacturers only need to report when a drug is officially out of stock, while the Netherlands requires at least two months’ notice. Reporting processes are also slow, inconsistent, and sometimes absent.

Faced with no improvement, the EU has introduced a number of measures such as establishing a list of essential medicines and drafting the Critical Medicines Act.

However, auditors said these proposals lack enforcement mechanisms such as sanctions to force the pharmaceutical industry to comply with reporting obligations.

“You can only coordinate if you have information. That is the law. But currently each country provides different data, and some countries do not provide any information,” ECA expert Matthias Blaas emphasized.

The bloc is discussing a new pharmaceutical law package that could require manufacturers to be more transparent about their supply chains, but the ECA warns it will take several years for the measures to have any real impact.

The EC said it believes the recent proposals will “make a significant difference”, and address many of the challenges raised by the ECA.

UYEN PHUONG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/eu-canh-bao-tinh-trang-thieu-thuoc-da-den-muc-ky-luc-2025091815450723.htm