Bundesgesundheitsministerin Nina Warken (CDU) announced that a new set of laws will cut bureaucratic burdens in the healthcare sector and will largely do away with the paper‑based package insert that accompanies medications. She said she will soon present a package of many small, but effective, measures to the press.
One priority is simplifying the two‑stage therapy prescription in psychotherapy. “Soon we will be able to prescribe all 24 sessions at once instead of the current limit of twelve” Warken explained. The consult report will also be eliminated when a referral is present or when treatment follows a hospital stay.
For physicians, the minister introduced further changes. “We will now set a de‑facto threshold of 300 € for the economic feasibility checks of doctors”-a measure that will affect roughly 70 % of all such assessments. In addition, health‑care supply stores will be inspected by authorities only when there is a concrete reason. “All of these steps give doctors and psychotherapists more time for their patients” she added.
Beyond the clinic, Warken tackled the regulation of medication packaging. The paper insert is being phased out as part of the EU-pharma package that Germany is now transposing into national law. Two years after the EU rule takes effect, companies must provide a digital package insert for every drug. This digital version offers many advantages, such as automatic translation and text‑to‑speech functionality. The paper insert will still be available in pharmacies, and every patient retains the right to obtain a printed copy if they prefer it. “We have to keep in mind people who, for various reasons, still want the paper version” Warken said.
The minister also warned about the potential impact of the war in Iran on drug supplies. The Strait of Hormuz is typically used by ships from India and China carrying essential cargo for the pharmaceutical supply chain and production. “A prolonged blockade would almost certainly affect drug supplies” she noted. “Routes around Africa would become significantly longer, leading to delays and possible price increases”. Although a de‑facto blockade had already occurred after ships were attacked, Warken stressed that she does not foresee an urgent crisis. She said the government is in communication with the relevant authorities, pharmaceutical companies, and wholesalers, and that drug warehouses remain well stocked.
