Several major international pharmaceutical executives are sounding the alarm that new medicines are increasingly unable to reach the German market in a timely manner due to shifting US pharmaceutical policies. According to the newspaper “Die Zeit”, the situation is becoming severe.
Hagen Pfundner, the Germany head of the Swiss company Roche, noted that drugs currently available in the United States often do not reach every third country, specifically mentioning Germany. He warned that the situation is set to worsen because many corporations are becoming hesitant and may have to delay new product introductions.
Matthias Berninger, chief lobbyist for the Leverkusen-based company Bayer, echoed this concern, stating that these are “no empty threats, but something that is already happening”. He suggested that Europe is approaching a point where very few new medicines will be approved. Calling it a “tectonic shift” within the industry, Berninger added that the general public is not yet aware of the problem.
The root cause has been linked to the policies of US President Donald Trump, which have put pressure on large pharmaceutical conglomerates. Companies are now being required to avoid setting drug prices in the US that are significantly higher than those used in a grouping of Western nations that includes Germany. As a result, the corporations are choosing not to launch these drugs in these countries at all. Already, the number of newly introduced medicines in Germany has reportedly fallen by more than half.
Warning of a major market delay, Alexander Horn, head of the US company Eli Lilly, stated that it might happen that they are unable to introduce certain medicines into Germany. Similarly, Chris Boerner, head of Bristol Myers Squibb, warned that “Germany stands at a crossroads”.
