Analysis shows Czech patients now wait an average of 659 days for innovative therapies after they are approved at EU level
Patients in Czechia are facing growing delays in access to innovative medicines, with waiting times stretching to almost two years and the number of available new therapies falling for the first time in years, according to new industry data.
The latest Patients W.A.I.T. Indicator 2025, published annually by the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), paints a mixed picture for Czech healthcare. While the country still performs above much of Europe in bringing innovative medicines to market, access is slowing, and the gap with Western European frontrunners is widening.
The analysis shows Czech patients now wait an average of 659 days for innovative therapies after they are approved at the EU level – around six months longer than two years ago. The figure places the country behind the EU average and significantly behind neighbouring Austria and Hungary.
At the same time, fewer new medicines are reaching patients at all. Of 168 newly monitored molecules, only 84 were made available to at least one patient in Czechia, down sharply from 62% in the previous period to just 50% today. Germany, by comparison, reaches 93% availability, Austria 85% and Italy 79%.
