Access to medicines

About

Drugs not developed because they are not as profitable as others, hospitals and pharmacies running out of life-saving medicines with no alternative, unexplained price hikes, etc. These are a few examples of the hurdles EU consumers face when trying to access the medicines they need.

We need an all-out effort to develop new treatments that meet our health needs, to make price tags become more reasonable, ethical and sustainable and to tackle anticompetitive moves.

Related Publications

Weathering the Cost-of-Living crisis, cover

Weathering the cost-of-living crisis: 8 solutions by European consumer organisations

14.02.2023

- PDF Document - 512.01 KB

Pharmaceuticals

Energy markets

Energy consumer rights

Banking and payment services

Investor protection

Consumer policy

Unfair commercial practices

Available in English

Europe is undergoing a ‘perfect storm’: the rising energy prices, only partly linked to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and its implications on other sectors (food, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, products, and services linked to energy-intensive production) led to heavy inflation. While salaries remain in most countries stable, prices are skyrocketing and supply chains are being disrupted, generating among many consumers major worries about their short-term future.

Therefore, it is crucial to identify and roll out measures to address or mitigate the effects of the cost-of-living crisis for consumers. These measures call for action by different stakeholders, be they market players or policy makers. They also have different timelines and need to be targeted depending on the specific needs of certain population segments