While he acknowledged the act is an “important step forward,” he added that the “proposed funding is insufficient, and there is no common strategy for stockpiling essential medicines.” Belgium has called for the act to be partly funded by Europe’s defense strategy.
It’s a moment of disappointment for Vandenbroucke, who in 2023 led the charge in calling for a Critical Medicines Act, which was supported almost unanimously by member capitals.
To other observers, however, the Commission’s bill is a welcome fix for long-standing issues that have driven medicines production overseas, and will help rebuild resilient supply chains and improve access not only to critical medicines but also to high-priced novel remedies such as rare-disease drugs.
Purchasing power
The executive proposed an overhaul of procurement rules so countries don’t simply opt for the cheapest drug available but award contracts based on security of supply. There are also provisions for joint procurement by countries or by the Commission on their behalf, and these extend beyond everyday critical medicines to newer and more expensive therapies such as cancer drugs and antimicrobials.
It includes an appropriation of €88.5 million from the Commission’s 2021-2027 budget, and gives countries more latitude to invest in making critical medicines. It also says measures to protect one country’s supplies shouldn’t damage those of another, especially when countries require that companies hold contingency stocks of a product.
Health Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi met an ambitious self-imposed deadline to deliver the text in the first 100 days of the executive’s mandate. “The Critical Medicines Act ensures that EU patients have access to the medicines they need, when and where they need them at an affordable price. In the current geopolitical context, this has become an even bigger priority,” he told members of the European Parliament.