Photo: Anne-Li Engström
As a member of the alliance, the Nordic Pharmaceuticals Forum will help advise the European Commission on the supply of critical medicines.
The medicines market is global and fragile, and both short- and long-term supply problems are occurring with increasing frequency. These challenges are very difficult to solve for a single country and small markets where it is hard to attract suppliers.
Therefore, almost ten years ago, the Nordic countries decided to join forces, and establish the Nordic Pharmaceuticals Forum. Since then, the Nordic Pharmaceuticals Forum has launched initiatives to make the Nordic market more attractive to suppliers, including joint Nordic tendering procedures.
Will advise EU policy makers
Most recently, through Danish Amgros and Norwegian Sykehusinnkjøp HF, the forum has become included in the European Commission’s Critical Medicines Alliance. The Alliance and its members advise the Commission and other EU policy makers about the supply of critical medicines, and how to improve it.
– The Nordic Pharmaceuticals Forum has every reason to be proud to have been offered a spot in the European Commission’s Critical Medicines Alliance, says Flemming Sonne, chairman of the Nordic Pharmaceuticals Forum and CEO at Amgros I/S.
– This confirms that our efforts to secure supplies are also interesting for other countries. Despite our efforts, across all the Nordic countries we’re seeing challenges with the security of supply. Therefore, I’m delighted that the EU has decided to focus more on the issue, because there’s a lot to gain by collaborating across borders and sectors.
The Nordics are a well integrated region for medicines
Cooperation in the Nordic Pharmaceuticals Forum includes everything from joint tendering procedures and environmental criteria, to joint price negotiations for new medicines and sharing knowledge about Horizon Scanning.
– The Nordic Pharmaceuticals Forum has taken many different initiatives to enhance our pharmaceutical security of supply. The joint Nordic tendering procedures are one of our flagships, says Tommy Juhl Nielsen, divisional director of the pharmaceuticals division at Sykehusinnkjøp HF in Norway.
– Our initiatives and experience with our collaboration mean that the Nordics are on their way to becoming the most integrated region in Europe within medicines. Therefore, I’m also convinced that we have a lot to offer the European Commission’s new Critical Medicines Alliance.
The European Commission will launch the Critical Medicines Alliance on 25 April.
Facts
- The Critical Medicines Alliance has been tasked to advise the Commission and other EU policy makers about the supply of critical medicines, and how this can be improved.
- The Alliance will focus on identifying industrial challenges and determining the most appropriate procedures and tools to effectively tackle vulnerabilities in supply chains for critical medicines.
- Recommendations will focus in particular on mitigating structural risks, reinforcing supply by making demand more predictable, encouraging diversification, and boosting manufacturing. As such, the Alliance will play a key role in bolstering industrial competitiveness in the EU and strengthening its open strategic autonomy, in the best interest of EU citizens.
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