November plenary session in Strasbourg The EP made proposals The planned update of EU pharmaceutical legislation in 2022.
In 2019, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved 103 orphan medicines, but only half of them entered the market, on average two years later than planned. This is just one of the issues addressed report on EU pharmaceutical policy. MEPs called on national agencies to shorten approval deadlines and coordinate with the ESA to ensure fast and equal access to medicines across the EU.
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Lack of medication
The Covid-19 crisis has highlighted the shortage of medicines and medical equipment, endangering patients and putting pressure on public healthcare systems. Parliament called on the Commission to address the root causes of drug shortages and to propose sustainable solutions, including the timely placing on the market of generic and biosimilar medicines, in order to ensure that patients have access to safe and affordable medicines.
Learn more on the shortage of medicines and Parliament’s solutions
Environmentally friendly pharmaceutical industry
Parliament also called for the pharmaceutical industry to become more environmentally friendly and for product life cycles to be climate-neutral. The EP emphasized the need to strengthen EU production and security of supply, as well as to increase the transparency of prices and public R&D funding.
MEPs recommend coordinated awareness – raising campaigns on germ resistant, and to develop adequate capacity for the sustainable production of active substances, raw materials and medicines in order to reduce dependence on external sources.
The report calls on the Commission to implement the Clinical Trials Regulation in order to facilitate the launch of large-scale clinical trials in a harmonized and coordinated manner at EU level.
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