2023-05-09 07:34:22
François Braun, Minister of Health and Prevention was present on May 5, 2023 in Stockholm for the informal EPSCO Council of European Health Ministers. At the heart of the exchanges, crisis preparedness and secure access to medicines as well as access to innovative and existing medicines. The issue of Member States’ support for the recovery and development of the healthcare system in Ukraine was also discussed.
European citizens’ access to medicines
Better access to drugs despite crises
The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the fragilities of health systems and the fragilities of pharmaceutical supply chains. In anticipation of future crises and also to ensure their long-term availability, greater transparency of the supply chain as well as the relocation of pharmaceutical production is essential.
European Health Ministers were thus invited to discuss the measures taken in each country of the Union to alleviate shortages, strengthen access to medicines as well as the role that European structures might play in complementing national actions. .
Minister François Braun was able to highlight the implementation in France in 2019 of a roadmap to combat shortages which has made it possible to improve the information transmitted by laboratories as soon as they become aware of a potential break in supply. drugs and the implementation of a shortage management plan for drugs of major therapeutic interest. This roadmap will be updated and provide for the establishment of a list of so-called “critical” drugs, the implementation of a “white drug plan” and a plan to prepare for winter epidemics.
Ensuring access to innovative and existing medicines
Member States exchanged views on access to innovative targeted therapies, sustainable access to innovation while maintaining access to generics and other established products and finally on the financial viability of healthcare systems in Member States.
France is pursuing an active policy to promote the use of generic and biosimilar medicines through legislative and incentive measures. It insists on the need to promote innovation, which is why several systems are revised annually, but it also listens to any proposal from its European partners, without overshadowing existing essential drugs.
Support for Ukraine
Maintaining essential public services is crucial for Ukraine’s long-term reconstruction. In the shorter term, the proper functioning of the healthcare system is of the utmost importance for Ukrainian citizens in order to guarantee them access to the medical treatment they need. The question of how Member States might contribute to supporting care capacities and healthcare professionals was addressed by all Member States.
François Braun thus recalled France’s recent action in this area, which formalized a health cooperation agreement with Ukraine on April 14, during a visit by the Minister to Lviv. This agreement sets out the lines of future cooperation in terms of hospital cooperation and public health, but also anchors support for the integration of Ukraine into the Union of Public Health, by mobilizing the instruments and programs of the ‘European Union. At the national level, a mechanism for recognizing the diplomas of Ukrainian health professionals allowing them to practice on French territory has also been put in place.
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