In February, the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers adopted a Recommendation seeking to promote equitable access to medicinal products and medical equipment in a situation of shortage and to safeguard the fundamental rights of individuals who need them for serious or life-threatening health conditions in the 46 Council of Europe member states.

Recommendation CM/REC(2023)one on ‘Equitable access to medicinal products and medical equipment in a situation of shortage’ was prepared as a response to the lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing shortages of medicines and medical devices across Europe. It calls for ensuring that there is a system in place to prevent and mitigate situations of shortage and to better prepare for such shortages.

At the beginning of March, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the Heads of Medicines Agencies (HMA) organised a two-day workshop focused on medicine shortages. EAHP’s Director of Professional Development Despoina Makridaki represented the views of hospital pharmacists.

Workshop participants were informed about the HMA/EMA Task Force activities on medicines shortages and availability and interfaces with other initiatives, received updates on the progress with the Task Force deliverables and identify areas of agreement as well as areas for further discussion and had the possibility to share their perspectives and activities seeking to address availability …