Securing Europe’s lifelines: The new strategy for critical medicines

The persistent shortage of critical medicines in the EU has emerged as a pressing challenge to public health. In response, the European Commission proposed the Critical Medicines Act in 2025, building on post-Covid strategies to enhance pharmaceutical resilience. The Act promotes domestic manufacturing, diversified supply chains and strategic partnerships with third countries. This article highlights, among other priorities, the importance of scrutinising every link in critical supply chains, fostering solidarity among EU member states and ensuring consistency across legislative frameworks. While these efforts will impose higher costs on citizens—both as patients and taxpayers—such costs could be largely offset by improvements in public health outcomes.