Medicine and medical device industry groups have told the EU how they would like the region to respond to tariffs the Trump administration has imposed on imports into the US. The talks took place before 9 April, when US President Donald Trump paused the higher tariffs on the EU for 90 days.
A delegation from Medicines for Europe, a group that represents generic and biosimilar companies, met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to discuss how the Commission can support their industry. While medicines were excluded from the initial set of global tariffs, drugmakers have begun preparing for duties.
Medicines for Europe called tariffs “regressive and counterproductive,” adding that they “would disrupt global supply chains, cause shortages of critical and essential medicines, and undermine patient access.”
The group has crafted a five-step plan, starting with urging the Commission to continue diplomatic efforts to prevent tariffs on EU medicines and active pharmaceutical ingredients. Medicines for Europe sees avoiding tariffs as key to preventing shortages and “very real harm to patients.”
To bolster competitiveness, Medicines for Europe wants the EU to review “complex and burdensome legislation that undermine pharmaceutical activities … like the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive and restrictions on substances required for manufacturing.” The group is also calling for the EU to accelerate the Critical Medicines Act and adopt the pharma legislation.
EFPIA, the European trade group for branded drugmakers, sent its own message to von der Leyen. The trade group surveyed its members last week, revealing that as much as 85% of capital investments and up to 50% of R&D expenditure in the EU are at risk. The survey found that more than €100 billion ($110 million) is at risk.
Companies are assessing whether to invest the money in the EU for a range of reasons. EFPIA said the “uncertainty created by the threat of tariffs” is one factor, explaining that “there is little incentive to invest in the EU and significant drivers to relocate to the US.” The trade group wants the Commission to make the EU competitive, bolster intellectual property, and adopt a world-leading regulatory framework.
Unlike medicines, medical devices were included in the Trump administration’s initial tariff blitz. US industry groups are pushing for exemptions for medical devices. In parallel, MedTech Europe is lobbying the Commission to inform the EU’s response to the tariffs.
In response to a consultation on the EU’s response to US tariffs on steel and aluminum products last month, MedTech Europe said it expressed “high concerns to see several codes for finished medical devices, along with nearly a hundred codes related to inputs for medical technologies (such as raw materials, spare parts, and components), included in the list of products subject to potential EU countermeasures.” The group wants the EU to exempt devices, diagnostics and their essential inputs from retaliatory tariffs.
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