The German Federal Medical Association and the Austrian Medical Association are calling on the EU and the pharmaceutical industry to finally take decisive and joint action against drug supply bottlenecks.
Vienna (OTS) – Following joint discussions between representatives of the medical profession from Germany and Austria, the Vice President of the German Federal Medical Association, Dr. Ellen Lundershausen: “Patients, doctors and all other professional groups involved in the supply of pharmaceuticals in European countries are suffering equally from the current delivery bottlenecks. In addition to prices, health insurance companies and manufacturers must therefore also pay more attention to aspects such as ensuring the ability to deliver. This includes the question of a sufficient number of production sites in Europe. Almost 70 percent of the production sites for active ingredients destined for the market in Germany and other European countries are located in Asia. This threatens the security of supply in this country, as we lack sufficient alternative options in the event of quality defects or delivery problems. Europe should be able to cover more of its needs itself. The framework conditions for diversifying supply chains, for production in Europe and for sufficient stockpiling must be sustainably improved.”
For the Austrian Medical Association, Vice President Dr. Harald Mayer, Federal Curia Chairman of the employed doctors: “The responsibility for the supply of medication clearly lies with politicians. She finally has to act! This includes the willingness to invest in the European production of supply-relevant medicines. Europe must finally become autonomous and independent of other markets when it comes to the supply of medicines. Doctors are confronted with the consequences of supply bottlenecks every day and it cannot be their job to explain political failures.”
Questions & Contact:
Austrian Medical Association
Mag. Thorsten Medwedeff
public relation
+43 1 514 06-3314
t.medwedeff@aerztekammer.at
Federal Medical Association
Samir Rabbata, presse@baek.de