Spain's proposal on faster access to innovative medicines is drawing cautious support, but Czechia, Greece and Sweden emphasise a clear distinction between medicine access and pricing
Spain wants the EU to help bridge the gap between regulatory approval and national reimbursement decisions, but Czech officials and the innovative pharmaceutical industry say any new mechanism must respect member states’ authority over medicine pricing and prove workable in practice.
Under the Spanish proposal, the European Commission would coordinate an “early procurement” mechanism allowing innovative medicines to enter the European market immediately after receiving authorisation from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), while national pricing and reimbursement procedures are still underway.
The initiative aims to reduce the often lengthy delay between EMA approval and patients gaining access to new treatments. Madrid plans to begin discussions with other member states in September.
Prague welcomes debate but draws red lines
