EU reaches provisional agreement on the critical medicines act

The Council of the European Union and the European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement on the Critical Medicines Act aimed at preventing shortages and securing supply chains. The regulation introduces mandatory resilience requirements for public procurement to reduce reliance on third-country suppliers. It incentivizes the domestic manufacturing of essential medicines and their active ingredients within the bloc. Member states are now permitted to procure medicines jointly, with the threshold for requesting European Commission assistance lowered from nine to five countries. Cypriot Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides and the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU highlighted the deal as a significant move toward strategic autonomy and equitable patient access. The policy is designed to address vulnerabilities in global supply lines exposed by recent disruptions. The agreement serves as a core component of the broader European Health Union framework.