European Conference „Medicines Shortages: Giving up? Finding solutions!“

ABDA – Federal Union of German Associations of Pharmacists invited politicians, pharmacists, managers, journalists, economists, civil servants and other stakeholders from across Europe to the conference „Medicines Shortages: Giving up? Finding solutions!“ on Tuesday, 1 December 2020.
 
Medicines shortages have been part of everyday life in Europe for several years. The reasons for this are complex and connected to a highly globalized and specialized drug manufacturing process. Currently, there are only a few manufacturers worldwide for certain active ingredients. Production stoppages or quality problems in a single plant can be enough to endanger the supply of pharmaceuticals to patients across Europe.
 
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 had exacerbated this situation and sparked a new discussion at EU level. One focus of the German EU Council Presidency was to ensure a continuous supply of medicines to Europe and to work with the European Commission to develop a European pharmaceutical strategy.
 
Together with a top-class podium consisting of members of the European Parliament, the European Commission and representatives of international pharmacists' associations and the pharmaceutical industry, Germany’s ABDA shed a light on the challenges surrounding this problem and discussed possible solutions.
 
This conference was part of the associated programme of the German Federal Ministry of Health within the German Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2020.