Today, the Ministers of Health met at the EPSCO Council meeting and adopted the Council's conclusions on supporting cardiovascular health in the EU, the Council's conclusions on transplantation and organ donation, and discussed measures to promote competitiveness and progress on the Pharmaceutical Package. The Minister of Health, Válek, also met with the European Commissioner for Health, Olivér Várhelyi.
In connection with the health aspects of the Draghi report on competitiveness, the Czech Republic supports simplifying the EU's regulatory framework, including shortening the time for assessing applications for the registration of medicines and medical devices, digitizing the entire process, and introducing electronic, multilingual package inserts. To improve the EU's competitiveness, the Czech Republic has prepared a proposal within the Pharmaceutical Package to provide incentives for the pharmaceutical industry, emphasizing support for the production of medicines in the EU. In addition, measures beyond the scope of the Pharmaceutical Package were discussed, such as joint procurement of medicines within the EU. The main goal is to increase the availability and safety of medicines for patients in the European Union.
"The European Union must do everything possible to enhance its competitiveness and self-sufficiency in the field of medicines. To achieve this, we will propose, within the framework of the Pharmaceutical Package, a set of incentives for the pharmaceutical industry, emphasizing support for the production of medicines in Europe, which will contribute to increasing the resilience of supply chains and, consequently, the availability of medicines for patients in the Member States. I believe that, through the joint efforts of the Member States, we will find a balanced solution that respects the needs of patients, healthcare systems, and the pharmaceutical industry," said the Minister of Health, Vlastimil Válek.
Cardiovascular diseases are one of the biggest threats to the health of our citizens in Europe. The planned EU action plan for cardiovascular diseases is therefore a crucial document. The factors that increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases are still relevant in the Czech Republic. The Ministry of Health, in cooperation with professional societies, has therefore also prepared a National Cardiovascular Plan for the period 2025-2035. Its aim is to establish key strategic goals for ensuring more effective healthcare, including prevention, especially in the area of heart and vascular diseases. The planned measures and Czech experiences will be shared with European colleagues so that at least minimum standards for addressing cardiovascular diseases are consistently established throughout the EU.
"Thanks to significant experience in successfully addressing medicine shortages and implementing solutions into national legislation, the Czech Republic is one of the leaders in developing these recommendations. For example, the system for monitoring medicine supplies and managing them in the event of limited availability, which has been in operation since June at the level of pharmacies, distributors, and marketing authorization holders, would significantly contribute to the efficient functioning of the pharmaceutical market and reduce the impact of limited medicine availability on patients if implemented at the European level," added the Deputy Minister of Health, Jakub Dvořáček.
The initiative to update the Action Plan for Organ Donation and Transplantation also received support from both the Czech Republic and the wider European community. The Czech Republic has one of the most well-developed systems in this area and is therefore well-positioned to contribute to progress in this field. It is also necessary to strengthen cross-border cooperation and work together to harmonize the EU framework, with a focus on ensuring transparency and equal access. At the same time, it is essential to maintain ethical principles and the national specificities of individual countries. The discussions also included the topic of short-term and long-term measures to ensure the supply of medicines within the EU, following up on the June meeting of the EPSCO Council. At that meeting, Minister Válek raised the issue of excessive stockpiling of medicines, which could potentially impact the availability of medicines in other member states. The Czech Republic fully supports the initiative to create common rules at the European Union level, which should serve as a guide for the development of national measures. "Today's discussions were very constructive, and I appreciate the progress made in a number of areas. I look forward to working with the new European Commissioner, with whom I had the opportunity to meet as one of the first EU health ministers, and we agreed on close cooperation. I am ready to actively participate in the preparation of pan-European initiatives in the areas of organ donation and transplantation, as well as in the fight against cardiovascular diseases. The Czech Republic has extensive experience and expertise in both of these areas, as well as in measures to ensure the availability of medicines, where we are already actively involved in the development of pan-European recommendations," said Minister Válek. top09.cz / mzd/gnews.cz-jav_07Translation: legacy (English)
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