A report published by the European Court of Auditors concluded on Wednesday that the European Union has not yet found a “solution” for the lack of medicines, calling for the strengthening of the European Pharmaceutical Agency.
This scrutiny, especially the standard deficiency in antibiotics, such as amoxicillin, analyzes in 2023 and 2024.
The European Union identified the causes of the problem, especially the weaknesses in the supply chain, in light of Asia’s acquisition of a large part of the production.
But the political response to the 27 members of the European Union is not sufficient, according to the court.
“Several member states have started storing medicines without consulting between them, which may exacerbate the shortage of some countries,” says the court, which is based in Luxembourg.
Although the European Union took a “big step forward” at the end of 2023 by setting its first biological list, it did not make enough effort to ensure its availability, “according to the report.
The Court of Auditors praised the “important coordination role” of the European Pharmaceutical Agency, but expressed regret that it “is still not authorized to provide assistance to European Union countries outside” health crises.
The review concluded that the agency “is not aware of sufficient cases of deficiency to be able to prevent it.”
The court reminded that health falls within the jurisdiction of member states and is not directly affiliated with the European Union. She also regretted the lack of harmony between the various European countries in terms of the rules applied to the sector.
In France, manufacturers have to report any deficiency “as soon as they are noticed that they are in front of the risk of inventory running out,” while in Italy, this must be done “4 months before any break in supplies,” according to the report.
The European Auditors Court also criticizes the fragmentation of the European pharmaceutical market, which hinders its circulation freely, for example due to the differences in packaging from one country to another.
Among other recommendations, the European Commission report called for measures to ensure immediate reporting of any lack of medicines to the European Pharmaceutical Agency.
The court advised that this agency also run a “database and a unified report on medicines.”