Earlier this month, the newly empowered role of the European Union (EU)’s Executive Steering Group on Shortages and Safety of Medicinal Products (MSSG) took centre stage in the effort to tackle medicine shortages in Europe.
Since 2 February this year, EU Member States are required to report critical medicine shortages to the MSSG via the European Shortages Monitoring Platform (ESMP). In turn, companies holding marketing authorisation for the concerned drugs must use the platform to inform the MSSG of their stocks. Thomas Thoma, Head Managed Access Programs at Teva Pharmaceuticals, outlined the potential impact of this platform at the Clinical Trial Supply Europe 2025 conference in Barcelona, which took place from 25–26 February.
Originally launched as an optional platform in the wake of shortages during the Covid-19 pandemic, the ESMP now offers emboldened support to the MSSG solidarity mechanism. EU member states experiencing otherwise unresolvable shortages can contact the MSSG to seek pharmaceutical companies in other member states to share their stocks. According to Thoma, “The ESMP platform should detect the shortages, but also helps fight the shortages, make them public, and make the shift [of resources] from one country to another possible”.
“[The MSSG has helped to resolve] 560 national shortages in Europe last year only,” Thoma stated. Thoma noted that 27% of EU nations had reported shortages of over 600 drugs in 2023, among which cancer therapeutics were significantly represented. Shortages can also affect clinical trials; of the 33 drugs listed by the EU as in shortage, 24% are requested at Teva for clinical trials, Thoma said.
Despite their increased obligations, Thoma reassured attending delegates of the MSSG solidarity mechanism’s benefits, saying that by sharing stock forecasts, “it’s a win-win situation, you lose literally nothing”. Also, pharma and biotech companies can expect greater trust in Europe’s clinical trial infrastructure and supply chains, he said. Nonetheless, drug stocks reported to the now-mandatory ESMP will become ineligible for export in the event of shortage as EU demands take precedence.
Medicine prices also play a role in the drug shortage situation. “Tendering is destroying price over time,” said Thoma. A focused supply on a small pool of tender winners, in addition to reluctance from countries like Germany, Switzerland, and Sweden to increase drug prices, is resulting in a “lack of incentives” for European manufacturers to supply EU states with older, cheaper critical medicines.
