The EPSCO Council of health ministers took place on 13 June 2023 in Luxembourg. On behalf of Hungary, Péter Takács secretary of state of health attended the meeting.
Péter Takács expressed, that Hungary welcomes the long-awaited EU Pharmaceutical Package, which we expect to contribute to making the pharmaceutical market more balanced. We need a new approach that allows us to choose the medicines that can be financed from our health budget more efficiently.
We need affordable medicines, and this is unfeasible without the timely introduction of generics and biosimilar products. In addition, appropriate emphasis must be placed on innovation, as well as on related activities, such as clinical trials. In our opinion, the drug package contains good suggestions on shortage prevention and management, but a safe supply of drugs cannot exist without strong European manufacturing capacities. That is why we expect further actions from the Commission in this area. Hungary also wants to take an active part in strengthening the active ingredient production. At the meeting, several member states underlined the importance of ensuring that the Commission's proposal does not jeopardise the competitiveness of the EU pharmaceutical industry, and several expressed concerns about a possible deterioration of the investment climate. Other member states, however, welcomed the fact that incentives to support innovation would be more conditional, facilitating more sustainable financing of the supply chain.
The EPSCO Council adopted recommendation on antimicrobial resistance, approved progress reports related to regulations on European Health Data Space and substances of human origin as well as the general approach on EMA fees regulation.
At the margin of the EPSCO Council, Péter Takács had bilateral exchange with Hristo Hinkov Bulgarian, Vlastimil Válek Czech, Orazio Schillaci Italian health ministers and Alexandru Florin Rogobete Romanian health state secretary.
