In this country, 608 medicines are missing since Friday. Experts say the bottleneck could get worse. Peter Lehner, chairman of the SVS, gives the signal in the live talk with moderator Conny Winiwarter: “That does not mean that there is no replacement. The situation is easing somewhat.” Action is still required: Europe is almost entirely dependent on Asia in the pharmaceutical sector. There is no emergency store for medicines: “The Ministry of Health currently only defines the medicines that are intended for this purpose.”
Minister of Health Johannes Rauch (Greens) is responsible for an emergency camp. We are currently still in the ‘definition phase’: “First we have to determine which medicines should be kept in stock,” explains Lehner. You want to “seriously prepare”. If there is a stock, it should last 14 days.
Only “minimal gaps” in the offer
In fact, more than 600 medicines are missing, but that is relatively little: namely only one percent of all medicines. “In individual cases, it’s always bad and an emotional challenge,” Lehner is very understanding of the public’s concerns. But there are alternatives: in most cases, you can switch to a “medically equivalent” drug. Currently there would be “no red lights”. How did it come to this? Lehner: “The pharmaceutical industry has miscalculated in its planning.”
“Of course the pharmaceutical industry wants higher yields”
A price increase was often touted as a solution to the drug shortage. The SVS chairman firmly rejects this option: “A medicine is no longer available because it is more expensive.” Lehner wants to be economical with the contributions from the social security authorities. It is “obvious” that the pharmaceutical industry wants higher yields.
Europe is as dependent on medicines as it is on Russian gas
80 percent of all medicines in Europe come from Asia. An important long-term goal should therefore be to become more independent and bring production back to Europe. “This is a European task. We have to invest in our independence.” The corona pandemic has shown that cross-border solidarity in times of crisis is over faster than we would like: “We had to fight for every mask and every protective equipment,” says Lehner. But you have to be realistic: “It It will be years before we can again produce large quantities of active substances in Europe.”
You can see the whole video with Peter Lehner in the video above. KroneLIVE can be seen from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m.
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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.
