Both Poland and the entire European Union are largely dependent on supplies from Asia, which supplies Europe with 80 percent. active pharmaceutical ingredients. So we cannot feel safe in this respect. Only an increase in the production of own active ingredients of drugs could provide us with them. About this, among others the participants of the discussion during the XNUMXth Health Market Forum, reported by the wnp.pl portal, talked.
- The pharmaceutical market in Poland and throughout Europe is largely dependent on the supply of active drug ingredients from Asia, mainly from India and China
- This is a potential threat to the so-called drug safety. In order to prevent a shortage of drugs, Poland should strive to be as self-sufficient as possible in this regard
- Increasing the production of active substances in Poland will only be possible with the support of the state – that’s what the experts who participated in the discussion at the Health Market Forum believe.
- More information can be found on the TvoiLokony home page
India and China produce 60 percent. of the world paracetamol, 90 percent. penicillin or 50 percent. ibuprofen. Also 40 percent of these countries are imported. finished drugs sold in Europe. In Poland, however, the production of active substances has been severely limited in recent years. It is similar in other countries of the European Union.
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The Three Pillars of Asia’s Pharmaceutical Power
In Poland, the largest producer of active pharmaceutical ingredients is Polpharma. Its president, Sebastian Szymanek, believes that Asia has built its pharmaceutical power on three pillars.
— The first is economies of scale. Every entity starting, for example, in China, starts with domestic sales, which means that chemical and pharmaceutical companies immediately operate on a huge market. The second is a conscious policy of the state, consisting, inter alia, on the support of innovative companies by governments – said Sebastian Szymanek at the Health Market Forum. – Local conditions are the third element. In Asia, the costs of building factories are lower, labor costs are lower than in Europe or the United States, and the environmental requirements are much less restrictive than in the European Union countries, therefore the start of companies is much easier.
The President of Polpharma also reminded that there used to be 300 drug manufacturers in Poland, including 130 producing active (herbal) substances. Today, we have only a dozen or so companies that produce active substances, usually single ones.
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It will be tough without state aid
According to wnp.pl, the EU4Health program for health adopted by the European Union for the years 2021-2027 aims to increase the availability of drugs and medical equipment. It assumes, among others increase in pharmaceutical production in Europe and provides for the introduction of financial incentives for producers of active pharmaceutical ingredients who will locate their activities in the EU.
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Experts participating in the discussion believe that the current situation on the pharmaceutical market cannot be changed without state support. In Poland, in the last few years, the costs of pharmaceutical production have increased by several dozen percent, and the costs of waste disposal by 150 percent. Producers cannot compensate for such an increase in costs by increasing prices. Among other things, because the prices of medicines are largely determined by the state in Poland.
— In the last few years, there has been a several dozen percent increase in production costs, salaries, energy, and when it comes to waste disposal, they have increased by up to 150 percent. – emphasizes Katarzyna Dubno, director of external relations and economics at Adamed, quoted by wnp.pl.
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