{"text":[[{"start":7.8,"text":"EU member states will stockpile medicines and invest in new production of key drugs to prevent shortages and a repeat of the panic buying from overseas that occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic."}],[{"start":20.3,"text":"Legislators and governments agreed on a Critical Medicines Act on Tuesday that aims to end persistent scarcity of key drugs and reduce reliance on imports, although it is likely to increase prices."}],[{"start":31.8,"text":"“Patients should not have to worry about whether critical medicines such as antibiotics will be available at their pharmacy or hospital,” said Neophytos Charalambides, health minister of Cyprus, which holds the rotating EU presidency."}],[{"start":44.75,"text":"“With today’s agreement, we are taking practical action to reduce our vulnerabilities, diversify supply chains and strengthen Europe’s capacity to produce critical medicines and their ingredients closer to home.”"}],[{"start":57.2,"text":"Public authorities will have to consider supply security, not just price, when buying critical medicines. Governments will be able to subsidise new factories to make ingredients or the drugs themselves and a “European preference” clause will incentivise manufacturers to produce in the bloc. "}],[{"start":73.9,"text":"There are more than 300 pharmaceuticals on an EU list of critical medicines, including paracetamol, morphine and insulin. The bloc produces only a quarter of the vital ingredients used in pharmaceutical products, known as active pharmaceutical ingredients or APIs. "}],[{"start":89.95,"text":"China provides more than 40 per cent of EU imports of APIs by volume and India another 20 per cent. During the coronavirus pandemic, export restrictions by some suppliers caused shortages in the EU, which have persisted. Some 31 medicines including insulin and asthma treatments are currently in short supply."}],[{"start":109.2,"text":"However, health systems that are already struggling to provide for an ever-older and sicker population could struggle to fund EU production over cheaper imports."}],[{"start":119,"text":"“We should have no illusions — there is a price for security of supply and supply chain resilience,” said a senior Commission official."}],[{"start":126.45,"text":"Copying a strategy used to buy massive amounts of coronavirus vaccines during the pandemic, any five or more EU members will be able to ask the European Commission to procure medicines collectively. Countries will have to be transparent about stockpiles but sharing with others will be voluntary. "}],[{"start":144.25,"text":"Agustín Reyna, director-general of consumer group BEUC, the European consumer organisation, said: “Making it easier for member states to buy medicines together will also allow more equitable access. Today’s situation improves as public hospitals will have to consider supply security on top of medicine prices in their purchasing process.”"}],[{"start":166.55,"text":"But the pharmaceutical industry has warned the new state intervention could damage competitiveness and innovation. "}],[{"start":173.25,"text":"The agreement must now be finalised in a formal European parliament vote. "}],[{"start":186.85,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1778586236_1311.mp3"}