The final approval by the Council of the European Union of the proposals to ensure the continuation of the supply of medicines from the UK for Northern Ireland, as well as Cyprus and Malta and the Republic of Ireland, was welcomed by Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakidou, stressing in particular the importance of the speed with which the process was completed.
"The uninterrupted supply of medicines is critical for hundreds of thousands of patients in Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Ireland and Malta, whose markets have traditionally depended on medicines from the UK," Kyriakidou said in a written statement.
"We have now fulfilled our commitment to find a solution that will ensure that all citizens can obtain the medicines they need at all times," she stressed.
The approved proposals aim to ensure uninterrupted long-term supply of medicines to Northern Ireland from the UK, as well as solving supply problems in Cyprus, the Republic of Ireland and Malta, three markets that have traditionally sourced medicines from the UK or through the country.
For the three countries in particular, the rules adopted by the European Parliament and Council provide for a temporary derogation to allow these countries to continue to source medicines from the UK only if necessary. The Directive and the Regulation apply retroactively from 1 January 2022 and 31 January 2022 respectively.
It is expected that within three years, i.e. 31 December 2024, the markets of the three countries will phase out the temporary derogations and reduce the dependence of their domestic markets for the supply of medicines from parts of the UK.
The proposal was adopted last week by the European Parliament plenary and on Tuesday received final approval from the EU General Affairs Council.
As noted in the Commission's statement, the proposals were presented in December following extensive consultation with citizens and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry and businesses in the EU and the UK, and after extensive negotiations with the UK Government.
As Commission Vice-President Maros Sefchowitz, who represents the EU in the discussions with the UK, underlined in a statement of his own, the solution reached for Northern Ireland solves the problem once and for all.
At the end of 2022, the Commission will present proposals to review EU pharmaceutical legislation to provide longer-term structural solutions, in particular on the issue of access to medicines, with particular attention to enhancing security of supply and addressing the risks of shortages in the Union's smaller markets.
Source: CNA
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