FRANKFURT (Reuters) -Europe should reduce its dependence on a small number of countries for vital drug supplies such as antibiotics and anaesthetics to boost the bloc’s preparedness for future health crises, a group of ministers has recommended.
The health ministers of 11 European Union countries made the recommendation ahead of EU Commission proposals for a draft Critical Medicine Act (CMA) due on Tuesday.
“(Between) 80% and 90% of antibiotics are made in Asia, mostly China,” they said in a letter dated March 8, which was seen by Reuters after being published by Euronews.
“It is easy for foreign actors to turn this dependency into a critical vulnerability, one that could severely undermine Europe’s security and defence capabilities,” said the letter, whose signatories included German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach.
Price pressure on cheap generics along with higher labour and environmental costs, has driven medicine production away from Europe, leaving it exposed, it said, urging the EU Commission to include the CMA in a broader security framework.
The ministers said that could be done along the lines of the U.S., where pharmaceuticals are considered part of defence goods supply chains, and proposed ramping up domestic production and centralised stockpiling, when possible.
“Several medicines, including antibiotics, anaesthetics, and thrombolytics, are not only vital for civilian healthcare but also for military and emergency scenarios,” they said.
(Reporting by Andreas Rinke;Writing by Vera Eckert;Editing by Helen Popper)
