< Back to situations

Monitor this situation.

[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE] · [HEALTH]

2 clusters · 12 sources · 3 days · First seen · Last updated

European pharmaceutical medicine access challenges

Overview

European patients face persistent delays in accessing newly authorized medicines. Data from the EFPIA Patients W.A.I.T. Indicator shows that for 168 medicines authorized between 2021 and 2024, significant time gaps remain between authorization and availability, with regional bottlenecks noted in Italy.

This lack of access is compounded by global market dynamics. While the United States accounted for 74.1% of global sales for new active ingredients launched between 2020 and 2024, Europe held only 15.6%. Additionally, China is reportedly accelerating its regulatory and launch capabilities.

A study in The Lancet suggests that United States drug pricing policies, specifically the most-favoured-nation approach, may exacerbate these delays. Researchers found that for 75% of 195 analyzed patented medicines, the revenue lost by lowering US prices would exceed total annual sales in reference countries like France or Germany. To avoid these losses, pharmaceutical companies may delay launching products in lower-priced markets to prevent those prices from being used to set US rates. Following a US executive order on this matter, drug launches in EU markets reportedly fell by approximately 35% over a 10-month period.

Entities

Kerstin Vokinger · The Lancet · EFPIA · Aprecia Pharmaceuticals · European Union

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

Timeline

  1. 1 day ago

    [HEALTH] 10 sources
    US drug pricing policy could delay medicine access in Europe

    A Lancet study warns that US drug pricing policies may cause pharmaceutical companies to delay launching new medicines in Europe to avoid lowering US prices.

  2. 4 days ago

    [HEALTH] 2 sources
    European pharmaceutical access faces delays amid global competition

    New data shows persistent delays in European patient access to innovative medicines, with Italy facing regional bottlenecks and the US and China leading in global pharmaceutical market share.

Sources

delo.si · diariofarma.com · euronews.com · fr.euronews.com · i-com.it · index.hr · n1info.hr · pt.euronews.com · que.es · srpskacafe.com · stamparein3d.it · tr.euronews.com