The EU is to stockpile key medicines that will worsen Britain’s record drug shortages, with experts warning the country could be left “at the back of the queue”.
The EU is trying to safeguard its supplies by moving to a system in which its 27 members work together to secure a reliable supply of 200 commonly used medicines, such as antibiotics, painkillers and vaccines.
But the bloc’s attempt to insulate itself from growing drug shortages risks exacerbating the growing drug shortages facing the NHS, causing serious problems for doctors.
“Europe ensures access to important medicines and vaccines as one region, with enormous influence and purchasing power. As a result of Brexit, Britain is now isolated from this system, which could put our drug supplies at risk in the future,” said Dr Andrew Hill, an expert on the pharmaceutical trade.
Britain is facing record levels of drug shortages, with more than 100 – including treatments for cancer, type 2 diabetes and motor neurone disease – in short supply or impossible to obtain.
Mark Dayan, head of the Brexit program at health think tank Nuffield Trust, said the EU’s decision to act as a purchasing cartel could seriously disadvantage Britain.
“There is a real risk that measures in such a large neighboring country, which is now a separate market due to Brexit, will leave Britain behind if shortages arise,” Dayan said.
“The EU has been exploring joint purchasing of more medicines, starting with action on antibiotics next winter.
It also has an initiative for member states to transfer stocks of medicines to cover shortages in other member states. These measures could lock out UK buyers in certain scenarios.
“This would risk worsening shortages from a starting point where they are already exceptionally serious for Britain and other countries, with an increasing impact in terms of costs and time wasted for the NHS, and in terms of patients struggling have to get what their doctors have. said they needed it.”
The European Medicines Agency, which included Britain and was based in London before Brexit, has said the drugs on its “list of critical medicines… will be a priority for EU-wide actions to strengthen their supply chains and minimize the risk of supply disruptions.” It defines a drug as “critical” based on the severity of the disease and whether there are alternative medications that doctors can offer in the event of a shortage. The EU plans to expand the list to cover a wider range of medicines.
Several factors make Britain less attractive than the EU for the pharmaceutical trade, Hill said.
“The UK has additional regulations, higher taxes and is a much smaller country to work with than the European region. These are all disincentives for drug manufacturers to supply Britain, a country of 66 million people, while they have a much larger market of (450 million) nearby that is eager to secure their products.”
Britain must protect its access to medicines by working more closely with the EU on drug supply, as it already does in defense, policing and higher education, Hill said.
The EU is also considering offering pharmaceutical companies incentives to build new factories as part of its response to global shortages caused by events such as the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Several European countries, including France, plan to expand drug production within their borders to reduce their dependence on India and China.
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Mark Samuels, the chief executive of the British Generic Manufacturers Association, which represents generic drug makers, said the government’s recent decision to increase the amount it gets back from generic drug makers if their sales exceed an agreed level would carries the risk that some products will suffer losses. makers that would become uneconomical to bring to Britain.
Without a government strategy to boost UK production of generic medicines – which provide 80% of the medicines used by the NHS – “we will see supply problems become even worse”, given the EU’s coordinated action to secure its own supplies , Samuels said.
But the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, which represents pharmaceutical companies in Britain, denied that the EU’s measures would necessarily worsen shortages in Britain.
David Watson, director of patient access, said: “We recognize that shortages arise for a wide range of reasons, and we must continue to work across borders to prevent and manage these for patients. We have no reason to think that the EU’s latest policies will have a negative impact on this ongoing challenge.
“The UK has its own well-rehearsed procedures in place to secure supplies of essential medicines, working with companies.”
Liberal Democrats health spokesperson Daisy Cooper said: “We need immediate action to tackle these medicine shortages, which are wreaking havoc on people who rely on these medicines. This Conservative government does not seem to be taking this seriously at all, despite the devastating impact it is having on people’s lives.
“The government has questions to answer about whether their dogmatic approach to relations with our European allies is about to cause further misery for ordinary people.”
The Department of Health and Social Care was contacted for comment.