EPF’s call for action to ensure patients’ continued access to safe, high-quality medicines across the EU

The European Patients’ Forum (EPF) is deeply concerned about the growing problem of shortages in the EU in recent years, undermining patients' fundamental right to equal access to safe, quality healthcare.

From everyday medicines and antibiotics to highly specialised products, many patients across Member States have experienced difficulties in accessing the medicines and treatments they need. For example, in Belgium, patients with cystic fibrosis regularly suffer shortages of enzyme replacement therapy, which is critical in their treatment, while a widely used anti-nausea medicine, often used in oncological care, is nowhere to be found. The situation is similar in Greece, where penicillin injections, used to treat certain types of bacterial infection, are often in short supply. Likewise, some patient organisations have reported persistent shortages of several medicines to treat organ transplant patients, with no or limited information to patients on the situation and varying levels of communication from authorities on the issue.

Read our call to action here.