European Health Minister Calls for Increased Pharmaceutical Production on the Continent
In a meeting of EU health ministers in Luxembourg, German Federal Minister of Health, Nina Warken, emphasized the need for a stronger pharmaceutical industry within the European Union. According to Warken, globalization has its limits, particularly when it makes Europe vulnerable. This is also true for the provision of medicines, she added.
The EU’s reliance on non-European suppliers for antibiotic production is a pressing concern, with a staggering 80 percent of supplies coming from outside the continent. Warken stressed that this needs to change, suggesting that in future public procurement tenders, European manufacturers should be given preference. The minister plans to discuss a corresponding regulatory proposal with her EU colleagues at the EPSCO meeting in Luxembourg.
Warken also expressed criticism of the EU’s wastewater directive, which imposes stricter environmental regulations on treatment plants and requires the main polluters, primarily pharmaceutical and cosmetics manufacturers, to cover a significant portion of the costs. The minister argued that Europe must be honest with itself, as it cannot promote pharmaceutical production on one hand and hinder it on the other.
While it is correct to filter out pharmaceutical residues from wastewater, Warken warned that the current cost distribution, which may make it unprofitable for some companies to produce medicines, is not beneficial to anyone. The wastewater directive, she said, must be rethought in a broader context, as it otherwise endangers public health.