The European Union still lacks an effective system to combat severe medicine shortages, according to a report published by the European Court of Auditors (ECA). While medicine deficits have persisted for years, the situation reached record levels in 2023 and 2024. This poses a threat to European citizens’ health and exposes serious structural issues within the EU’s healthcare system.
Why Are Shortages Occurring?
The ECA report identifies several key reasons:
☛ Vulnerable Supply Chains. A significant portion of production, especially for antibiotics and painkillers, has been relocated to Asia, making the EU dependent on external markets.
☛ Fragmented Single Market. National regulations and a lack of coordination among member states hinder the free movement of medicines. This can lead to a surplus of medications in one country while a neighboring country faces critical shortages.
☛ Lack of Information. Notifications from manufacturers about impending shortages are often delayed or entirely absent. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) lacks sufficient legal powers to prevent shortages outside of crisis situations.
☛ Absence of a Legal Framework. As Klaus Heiner Lehne, a member of the ECA, noted, the EU needs a stronger and more effective framework to combat shortages, including legal mechanisms to ensure mandatory reporting from manufacturers.
What is the EU Doing?
The European Commission has already presented proposals for new legislation, including a Critical Medicines Act. These measures aim to improve the system and compel the industry to provide better data on its supply chains. However, auditors warn that these efforts are only in their initial stages, and results may not be immediately apparent.
Creating a pan-European list of essential medicines is an important step. However, the audit revealed that even some drugs on this list are already in short supply.
Addressing EU Medicine Shortages
Experts emphasize that the problem of medicine shortages cannot be solved at a national level. While each EU country attempts to build its own reserves, this only exacerbates shortages in other member states. Successfully addressing the issue requires coordinated action across the entire EU, alongside real control mechanisms to combat chronic medicine deficits.
