By Julia Payne
BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The European Commission published its first list of critical medicines, as part of a wider overhaul of laws governing the 136 billion euro ($148 billion) pharmaceuticals industry aimed at avoiding shortages of drugs.
It is the biggest change to existing medical laws in two decades.
“The inclusion on this list is not an indication that a medicine is likely to experience a shortage in the near future. Rather, it signifies the critical importance of averting shortages for these specific medicines,” the Commission said.
The list, published by the European Medicines Agency, includes a wide range of essential, generic medicines from basic antibiotics such as amoxicillin, painkillers like morphine and insulin used to treat diabetes. The list also includes some vaccines for measles, hepatitis B and tetanus, among others.
“The drafting of the Union list is done in phases and the publication of the first version of the Union list marks the end of the first phase. During 2024 the review will continue and extend to other authorised medicines in the EU not yet included in the first version,” the Commission added.
(Reporting by Julia Payne; editing by Christina Fincher and Louise Heavens)
