Greek Health Minister Georgiadis Launches Nationwide E‑Prescribing and Calls for EU Pharma Self‑Sufficiency

At the third SFE Summit in Athens, Greek Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis warned that rapidly emerging innovative medicines are putting pressure on state budgets worldwide. He said the next challenge is to keep patients’ access to new therapies while preserving the financial sustainability of health systems.

Georgiadis announced that, from 1 July, electronic prescribing will be introduced in all Greek hospitals, allowing precise monitoring of which medicines are prescribed and why. He highlighted that Greece now records the lowest drug shortages in Europe and ranks among the EU’s five largest pharmaceutical producers, with exports constituting the country’s second‑largest export product.

Speaking alongside European pharma leaders, Georgiadis underscored the strategic need for Europe to develop its own manufacturing base for generics and biosimilars to ensure supply security. He noted that China and India are projected to dominate global drug production within the next decade‑plus, stressing that “Europe does not have the luxury of time.” The minister framed three strategic dilemmas for the EU: whether to be producers or consumers, innovators or observers, and leaders or followers in artificial‑intelligence‑driven health technologies.