AstraZeneca warns Germany could miss out on new drugs

AstraZeneca has warned that Germany risks losing access to new medicines if it moves ahead with plans to tighten controls on pharmaceutical spending, according to comments by the company’s CEO.

Speaking to German newspaper Handelsblatt, CEO Pascal Soriot said proposed cost-cutting measures in the country’s healthcare system could discourage drugmakers from launching new treatments in Germany, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.

He said that when companies are unable to introduce certain products in key markets, it creates serious challenges for the industry and could ultimately limit patient access to innovative therapies.

The warning comes as Germany’s coalition government considers reforms aimed at closing a €20 billion gap in its statutory health insurance system, including stricter pricing rules for patented medicines.

Soriot also pointed to growing pressure from the United States, where policymakers are pushing pharmaceutical companies to lower drug prices and align them more closely with international benchmarks.

According to AstraZeneca, such global pricing pressures are already influencing launch strategies in Europe, with some companies delaying or reconsidering the rollout of new drugs.

The CEO cautioned that Europe risks becoming less attractive for pharmaceutical research and development if regulatory and pricing pressures continue to increase, potentially shifting investment and innovation elsewhere.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada