A medicine shortage like last winter must not be repeated. For this reason, Austria is calling on the Council of EU Health Ministers to remove this topic from the EU’s medicines package, which is likely to be subject to longer negotiations.
It is about “acting quickly”, said Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) on Tuesday before the meeting in Luxembourg. There will also be storage of active substances and raw materials at the Austrian level.
According to the minister, the package of medicines is about developing “sensible regulations for the pharmaceutical industry”, strengthening Europe as a business location and guaranteeing the affordability and availability of medicines. Austria is fundamentally positive about the draft EU pharmaceutical strategy presented at the end of April, which will be discussed for the first time at the Council meeting.
Assess needs, create incentives
Rauch favors “targeted incentives” for pharmaceutical companies if they are “linked to concrete and verifiable conditions and scientific evidence,” it said in a written statement. Austria advocates a clear focus on “unmet medical needs”, for example rare diseases for which there are currently no effective medicines. To do this, the EU needs to develop a method to identify needs and distribute funding in a targeted and transparent way.
Especially in the case of particularly expensive medicines, it makes sense to talk about joint, EU-wide procurement, as Austria, as a small country, has a weaker negotiating position. “That is also being discussed.”
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
