The European Union has launched an investigation to determine whether the US policy of matching the price of its medicines to the lowest in the world is slowing down launches in European territory. Since Trump pushed this measure, drug launches in the EU have fallen by 35%. The European Commission demands concrete answers before the summer, given the risk that citizens may lose access to innovative treatments and see their bills rise.
The impact on pharmaceutical development pipelines 💊
The industrial logic is simple: if a large market like the US imposes the lowest global price, companies prioritize launching first in regions with higher profitability. Europe, with more rigid pricing systems and volume negotiations, is left behind. The average delay in the arrival of new drugs to the EU went from 4 to 14 months in recent years. This especially affects biological and oncological therapies, where every month counts for patients.
The trick: paying less so it arrives later ⏳
So, the US gets bargain prices for its citizens, but at the cost of us Europeans having to wait like in a bread line. Next time your doctor prescribes a cutting-edge drug, don't be surprised if they tell you it's in the approval phase, but in New York it's already being sold at the supermarket. The EU is asking for explanations, but in the meantime, we keep staring at the calendar.