Vice President of the Austrian Medical Association: Novartis’ investments in the Tyrol location and expansion of biopharmaceutical production are exemplary for Europe.
Vienna (OTS) – “Investments in Austria as a pharmaceutical location are a strong signal for independent and independent drug production in our country,” said Harald Mayer, Vice President of the Austrian Medical Association and Chairman of the Federal Curia of the Employed Doctors, on the announcement by Novartis that it would invest a total of 500 million euros in the expansion of cell culture technology facilities to invest in the company’s own campus in Tyrol and thus increase production capacities for the production of biopharmaceuticals. “This is an exemplary best practice example for all of Europe; medical devices and medicines for the EU must be produced in the EU to minimize the risk of dependencies. Of course, you also have to spend money on it. But our health and therefore also medicines and their production must be worth something to us – and not just in times of acute shortages like we have now.”
Only recently, the Austrian Medical Association and the German Federal Medical Association issued a joint resolution calling on the European Union and the pharmaceutical industry to finally take decisive and joint action against the drug supply bottlenecks in Europe. “Novartis’ initiative shows how you can move forward and strengthen a pharmaceutical location – in this case Austria. If politicians now also took responsibility for the supply of medicines and created the best framework conditions for an autonomous, strong supply of medicines in Europe, we would be on the right track. But doctors are still confronted with the consequences of delivery bottlenecks every day and it cannot be their job to explain political failures.”
According to the Federal Office for Safety and Health (BASG), 582 medications are currently not available in Austria or are only available to a limited extent in the pack sizes listed. This constantly updated list includes well-known medications, from painkillers to vaccines, stomach protection and antibiotics.
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Austrian Medical Association
Mag. Thorsten Medwedeff
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+43 1 514 06-3314
t.medwedeff@aerztekammer.at