Alexander Krujatz, chief commercial officer at Centrient Pharmaceuticals, explains the decreasing resilience of the supply chain of essential drugs to European patients, and what can be done to safeguard the essential medicines for patients in Europe.
Key insights:
- Most generic medicines prescribed and dispensed to European patients are produced elsewhere, putting the supply chain of essential medicines at risk.
- Sustainable manufacturing is the only way to preserve the environment and combat the spread of antimicrobial resistance, keeping the current antibiotic treatments effective.
- European governments need to support innovative, sustainable production that reduces environmental impact and requires less energy, fewer raw materials, chemical solvents and other harmful substances.
In the last 40 years, a significant share of generic medicine manufacturers, especially those producing active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and intermediates, relocated or outsourced their manufacturing capabilities to Asia driven by comparative cost advantages. The shift is especially true for the European pharmaceutical market.