In Austria there is still a shortage of hundreds of medicines. The boss of Novartis Austria, Michael Kocher, is therefore demanding higher prices for medicines. At the moment it is hardly possible to produce to cover the costs, he said on Saturday in view of energy prices. The Association of the Chemical Industry in Austria (FCIO) also demands “fair prices”, as this is the only way to guarantee the long-term supply of medicines.
Kocher said in the Ö1 “Mittagsjournal” that attractive market conditions had to be created. With current prices and energy costs, it “cannot work in the long run”. At the same time, he emphasized that it is not about profit maximization, “but about cost-effective production”.
“Bottlenecks could increase significantly”
The chemical industry would also like higher prices. “The bottlenecks in medicines, which have been seasonally occurring in Austria in recent weeks, may increase significantly in the coming years,” warned FCIO director Sylvia Hofinger to focus only on bridging the current bottlenecks.
On the contrary, the current crises demonstrate the need for a medium and long-term strategy to strengthen domestic production of essential medicines. She pointed out that there were already “suggestions that can be quickly and easily implemented for sustainable security of supply” – such as the “price margin that has existed for years but ends at the end of this year, for which a permanent regulation should finally be introduced”.
Indexing drug prices to compensate for inflation is also urgently needed to absorb production costs that have been rising for years. A financial bonus for medicines “Made in the EU” would also be a “strong incentive for manufacturers to invest more in Europe again”, says Hofinger.
SPÖ: “Bring back production”
The SPÖ, meanwhile, insisted on their plan for more security of supply with affordable medicines on Saturday. This provides for an increase in the research and production premium, production quotas for domestic use and the strengthening of research clusters at the universities. “Hundreds of medicines are currently not available or only available to a limited extent. The shortage cannot be remedied with higher prices. The production of medicines must be returned from Asia to Austria and Europe to ensure security of supply for our population,” SPÖ health spokesman Philip Kucher said in a broadcast.
If antipyretics are not available for children, or dozens of pharmacies have to be searched for prescription antibiotics, be on fire. Kucher called for a “Made-in-Austria-Fund” to pursue the strategic goal of future drug supply independence – and sees the need for the turquoise-green government.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
