Fresenius says tighter EU rules could trigger antibiotic shortage

Writing for Reuters, Ludwig Burger explores the recent warning from German drugmaker Fresenius that stricter production norms being considered by Europe’s drug regulator, the EMA, could compound shortages of a life-saving antibiotic, piperacillin, that is used by about 25 million patients globally each year.

In the article, Ludwig Burger refers to The Foundation’s whitepaper: “Shortages, stockouts and scarcity: the issues facing the security of antibiotic supply and the role for pharmaceutical companies” and points to the emerging crisis in the global anti-infectives market, with piperacillin particularly exposed, as fragile drug supply chains are relying on just a few big suppliers.

The Foundation’s Executive Director Jayasree Iyer spoke to Ludwig Burger about the issue: “It is important to have high standards and companies around the world need to keep investing in their plants. But the risks are clear especially in a market where a lot of manufacturers are disincentivised to stay on board and there’s more and more dependency on fewer manufacturers.”