Casares has stated that the Regulation on critical medicines must go beyond authorising State aid and procedure simplification
“The regulation on critical medicines is a positive step in the European Health Union, but we cannot fall short”, indicated the socialist MEP.
This afternoon the MEP has intervened in the plenary debate in Strasbourg on the shortage of critical medicines, where he positioned himself in favour of the regulation, but highlighting the need for the Commission to get involved and finance strategic projects as well as the purchase of European reserves of medicines.
“Action must be taken both in the implementation of production made in Europe and in the acquisition of critical medicines, and we cannot wait for these to be in a vulnerable situation in the supply chain. If we want security and resilience, we must anticipate threats and make European acquisitions of critical medicines that support the actions of the States. The text puts too much weight on the role of the States and the Commission, it must integrate health security into its security strategy, and supply chain security is one of the key parts in which European funding is key”; explained the European parliamentarian.
In his speech, he referred, assessing the previous work to be able to reach this text, that “the proposal gives recognition to several of the conclusions that we already saw in the reinforcement of the role of the EMA. Without the clear definition that was made at that time, without the list of critical medicines and without the monitoring platform for shortages, we could not have reached the article that we see today”.
Casares has considered it positive that the stockpiling of medicines is regulated, in such a way that the reserves of some States do not cause shortages in others: “There must be certain reserves, but thinking in a European way and being aware that the planning of supply chains and an adequate investment and acquisition policy is the key to European health security in the face of medicine shortages”.
