BRUSSELS, July 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The need to establish a fund under the EU budget to support the production of critical medicines in Europe is a conclusion drawn from an analysis of the impact of the war on the availability of medicines in Ukraine. Medicines for Poland: The European Commission should put in place real support for the existing pharma industry in Europe to enable relocation of the production of critical medicines and their ingredients back to the EU, with a focus on Central and Eastern Europe as an area with high industrial potential.

During the meeting of the Public Health Committee (26 June this year) devoted to the draft Act on Critical Medicines, the recommendations set out in the report entitled ‘Medicines Supply Security for Poland's and Europe's Military Security’ (https://www.sgh.waw.pl/sites/sgh.waw.pl/files/2025-06/think-tank-dla-ochrony-zdrowia-bezpieczenstwo-lekowe-polski.pdf) prepared by experts from the Warsaw School of Economics and the Polish Ministry of National Defence, were discussed.

Lessons learned from the war

The authors of the report analysed the situation in Ukraine following the Russian invasion and prepared recommendations for EU countries. The report shows that although the pharmaceutical market in Ukraine grew rapidly between 2015 and 2022 and domestic production accounted for around 70% of all pharmaceuticals sold in pharmacies, in the first phase of the war, stocks of key medicines fell in many cases to less than 10 days' supply. And although 115 pharmaceutical manufacturers and 400 distributors were registered in Ukraine in 2020, there was a shortage of medicines, especially cardiovascular drugs and chemotherapeutics, posing a direct threat to patients' lives.

For example, in Mariupol, in the Donetsk region, shortages of medicines affected patients with cancer, diabetes, tuberculosis and thyroid diseases. Other regions reported shortages of antibiotics and medicines used in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Only external supplies of medicines and medical equipment provided vital support.

Co-author of the report, Prof. Monika Raulinajtys-Grzybek from the Warsaw School of Economics, called for the creation of a map of chemical and pharmaceutical industry resources in the EU and for the inclusion of the topic of medicines supply in civil defence exercises. She recommended the creation of a dedicated fund to support the production of critical medicines under the new EU Multiannual Financial Framework, the financing of the production of critical medicines from national lists under the STEP programme, and the protection of the pharmaceutical industry against energy supply cut-offs in times of crisis. Prof. Joanna Żukowska from the Warsaw School of Economics, co-author of the report, drew attention to the need to expand the list of needs reported to the Armed Forces Supply Security Plan implemented by entrepreneurs to include the production of medicines and medical supplies and the maintenance of production capacity in peacetime, as well as exempting key pharmaceutical personnel from active military service in the event of mobilisation and during wartime.

Powerless Act

The Critical Medicines Act, presented in March this year, aims to minimise the risk of medicine shortages in Europe, especially those critical to public health, by increasing the EU's independence from third-country suppliers. In 2024, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) adopted an updated version of the EU list of critical medicines, which contains 270 active substances.

"I would like our actions to be realistic and effective, rather than based solely on discussions about the need to strengthen security. The EUR 80 million allocated by the European Commission for 2026-2027 to implement the Critical Medicines Act for 27 countries is far too little", said MEP Bartosz Arłukowicz. "We have to build EU drug supply security, and the Critical Medicines Act is a good starting point. However, it requires some significant amendments," admitted MEP Adam Jarubas, Chair of the European Parliament's Public Health Committee. MEP Tomislav Sokol pointed out that we have to push for extra funding to support the production of critical medicines. "The Multiannual Financial Framework has to provide for the implementation of the Critical Medicines Act," he argued.

Prof. Monika Raulinajtys-Grzybek added that it is worth considering synergies between spending on military purposes and on critical medicines.

A new definition of security - medicines as strategic infrastructure
During an earlier debate on this report on 25 June at a meeting of the European Economic and Social Committee in Brussels, Katarzyna Piotrowska - Radziewicz, Director of the Department of Drug Policy and Pharmacy at the Ministry of Health, recalled that the Polish Presidency had raised awareness in Brussels of the importance of drug supply security.

"Medicines, especially critical ones, must be available locally, regardless of global turmoil, supply chain disruptions or armed conflicts. Today, this is no longer a postulate, but a strategic imperative. Instruments such as STEP must be expanded. Member States should also have the right to apply for funding for medicines that are strategic from their own perspective but are not necessarily on the EU's common list. Drug supply security is not a market issue, but a matter of the resilience of the entire European Union and NATO as a whole," emphasised MEP Elżbieta Łukacijewska.

Krzysztof Kopeć, President of Medicines for Poland, an organisation representing the largest pharmaceutical companies manufacturing medicines on the territory of Poland, emphasised that manufacturers are reliable security partners ready to produce critical medicines. "However, the Critical Medicines Act must be adapted to the fast-changing geopolitical situation and level the playing field for European manufacturers competing against Asian producers on the EU market," he said. MEP Adam Jarubas pointed out that Poland could also be an important production hub for critical medicines for smaller Eastern European countries. According to Grzegorz Rychwalski, EESC advisor and Vice-President of Medicines for Poland, the Commission should launch real support for the existing industry in Europe to enable the return of critical medicines and their components to the EU, taking into account Central and Eastern Europe as an area with high industrial potential.

Source: Medicines for Poland

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