How the EU plans to lower dependency on China for drug supplies

A collective of 19 EU member states have called for the bloc to reduce its dependency on China for medicines supplies. 

The countries – including France, Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands – have signed a newly published paper titled 'Improving the security of medicines supply in Europe', which warns that the EU is too "dependent" on China.

Not only did the paper conclude that Europe's drug production is too dependent on China, but it urged ministers to compile a list of critical medicines which should be monitored to shore up their supply, production and value chains.

The paper said: “The EU is becoming increasingly dependent on imports from a few manufacturers and regions for its medicines supply, adding a [new] security dimension. In 2019, 40% of all active pharmaceutical ingredients were sourced from China.”

It noted “almost all” active pharmaceutical ingredient producers are now dependent on China for intermediate inputs.

It said: “As a result, Europe – and the world – depends on a few manufacturers for a large bulk of their medicines supply”.

The paper's release coincided with wider supply concerns, as the EU has been forced to confront severe medicine shortages over the past few months.

Essential medicines, such as antibiotics, thrombolytics and insulin, have all been in short supply, as well as antipyretics and painkillers. 

According to the OECD, shortage notifications increased by 60