The rapid change in Ursula von der Leyen now starts to make sense. According to a press release [SEE HERE] from European Big Pharma, they recently had a meeting with the EU Komisar and threatened to leave Europe if the trade system is not renegotiated quickly.
President Trump is on the cusp of announcing a big change in tariffs against foreign pharmaceutical companies in an effort to get the manufacturing of medicines brought back to the USA. Details are soon to surface.
In a proactive move, the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), went to the European Commission (EC) yesterday to hold talks with von der Leyen, calling for radical change and holding the threat of an exodus to the U.S. over the EC president’s head.
PRESS RELEASE – Today, CEOs of the research-based pharmaceutical industry issued a stark warning to President von der Leyen that unless Europe delivers rapid, radical policy change then pharmaceutical research, development and manufacturing is increasingly likely to be directed towards the US.
A survey of EFPIA member companies conducted last week – to which 18 international large and medium-sized innovative companies responded – identified as much as 85% of capital expenditure investments (approximately €50.6 billion) and as much as 50% of R&D expenditure (approximately €52.6 billion) potentially at risk. This is out of a current combined total of €164.8 billion in investments planned for the period 2025-2029 in the EU-27 territory. Over the next three months, companies that responded estimate that a total of €16.5 billion i.e. 10% of the total investment plans is at risk.
The US now leads Europe on every investor metric from availability of capital, intellectual property, speed of approval to rewards for innovation. In addition to the uncertainty created by the threat of tariffs, there is little incentive to invest in the EU and significant drivers to relocate to the US. (read more)
What a pill!
Wait till you see the “pill” FBI Director Patel just delivered…
https://justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies/kash-patel-sends-declassified-crossfire-hurricane-docs-russiagate
Boom! 🙂
Solomon’s professional distraction obfuscation operation dropped OT so early in a new thread?
What could it mean?
Ok, Marquis, 😉 I’ll fill in the blanks for the newbies…
It means justthenews is trying to lure unaware CTH readers away to the jtn website – AND DISTRACT CTH readers away from an important post by Sundance!
BECAUSE it explains VDL’s (EU’S) big switcheroo over the past day!
PDJT AND HIS TEAM ARE OVER THE 🎯 BIG TIME!!
[Oh, and that there’s a real good chance that CareWeMust is a “plant” for just that purpose! I’ve seen it around doing that several times lately.]
There! Whew!
solomon is a _______ or similar. he has no reputation
his role is to trick us
🍈head’s
much- guarded Atkinson testimony
-that Sundance has noted important-
included in the release?
-🧐
CareWeMust — did you you just let a squirrel out of the cage? Was that a pharmaceutical squirrel?
4 Trillion dollars is the U.S. Healthcare GDP, and that is with pharmaceuticals now mostly overseas.
I want the medical and pharmaceutical frontier to be “research based”. Right now there is too much corrupted science, but getting it back here where we can watch it and not be ripped off in order to get meds is a plus. We will see if RFKJr and some other people can put true science back into med, vaccines, and more importantly into helping our population take care of our selves well through good lifestyle and self care. It really doesn’t cost that much.
But Sundance’s point is that Big industry is losing their shirts in foriegn countries now with VSGPDJT’s tariffs — yes they are working.
The political leaders and bankers who think they are smarter and more powerful than the economy of a free people are being overruled by smart businesses who know a losing hand when they are holding it.
They are telling Ms Ursula she can stand there and talk big in front of the Trump train as long as she wants, but they are getting off the tracks and on the Train.
“They are telling Ms Ursula she can stand there and talk big in front of the Trump train as long as she wants, but they are getting off the tracks and on the Train.”
At the end of the day, all she is, is another useless government mouthpiece..
The people with the real power are the producers.. and this is what they are showing her.
Same as it ever was.
There’s no “boom” there.
After many paragraphs full of old history that we already know, the opportunity to present a “boom” fizzled out at the end:
“The new dozens of records released by the FBI and obtained by Just the News will hopefully shed further light on the matter.” (emphasis mine)
Solomon click-baited people once again.
Note: This subthread is O.T. – nothing whatsoever to do with the subject of Sundance’s article above
Yes, but its a really great and illuminating example of exactly how the influencers wirk, trying to get a comment thread off topic.
The other day, all an influencer had to do, was menhtion Mike Pence, and Lord only knows how much bandwidth was subseequently wasted, with totally off topic coments about the putz.
So, at least this time it was immediately called out, and hopefully we can get back to Von Lederhosen getting hosed.
“Von Lederhosen”
🤣 🤣 😆 🤣 🤣 😆
I’ll be word-searching those documents for instances of “Boasberg”
A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.
Closing one’s eyes and holding the nose are helpful too.
In my professional experience with ‘best practices’, the adult and geriatric patient population receives a more effective result by squinting ones eyes along with the nose, puckering ones cheeks, then suddenly opening one’s eyes wide while swallowing…
I will see myself out…
That’s a hard pill to swallow .
Is that over the counter or a much needed prescription?
There’s no “Plan” here at all.
This is probably all just coincidence again, right?
Trump is decimating the imbalance in world trade while simultaneously embarrassing the “financial experts” and showing everyone just what a shell game the Stock Market really is…
Merchantilists hardest hit.
Yes, since NAFTA, stats show that 90,000 manufacturing companies have left the USA
When I started my practice, I went to an underserved area. There were 8 large factories and several small ones. The local people all worked hard, took pride in their work, and farmed their family farms.
Within 6 years, almost every one of them had moved to mexico, and the plant managers and tech people had to spend weeks at a time setting up the plants in Mexico and tearing down what had sustained them for a few decades.
I didn’t understand it then, but I knew it could not have happened with the blessing of anyone who cared about our country.
Nike getting battered.
Good.
The market is a fickle thing. Always looking for something better.
It’s sort of like infidelity: “A man’s only as faithful as his options.”
.
Hard to believe for a lot of people, but Donald Trump is smarter than they are. (Shhhhh, don’t tell them.)
.
That, PDJT being a very stable genius plus the fact the idiots who thought they know everything gave this man four solid years to get his next steps all mapped out.
FAFO
For what ails the world that would be free.
Why on earth would our leadership (politicians) allow foreign countries to control our drug supply? Oh right, that’s how you get the big bucks for your campaign. Absolutely, end advertising of drugs & watch the media become actual journalists. And return drug manufacturing to the US! Yesterday!
Bucks are a side effect.
Enslaving us is where their slaving hearts see great prophet.
That, or depopulating us w/ mra vaccines,….. all paid for with our Tax $s by the those that receive their of their NWO Donation$,… in Big Brother.
food & drugs should be produce here in the USA only ..it’s essential.!!!!!………Russians know it…Iranians know it.. ..our politicians make $$$ on current market situation…..pigs….
sejmon: Historically, countries such as Switzerland and Germany were and still are among the most important developers and producers of pharmaceuticals. These European companies all have very significant operations and assets in the US. The big risk is importing finished drugs and critical intermediates from China, for security reasons, and India, on which the US has become over-reliant.
They need to dismantle K Street. Legalized bribery. These pigs even legalized foreign bribery.
yes we need to end all advertising for drugs.starve the main stream media,they will be back to the test pattern at midnight.
I remember when the test patterns came on after the last show. They’d always have the Air Force band playing the National Anthem…… and singing. It was a great way to end the evening.
…”back to the test pattern at midnight.” I remember that! All the networks shut down after the 11:00 news! (Eastern time…)
advertising
Solutions journalism is providing solutions to problems you need be informed about.
“If critical reporting about the Gates Foundation is rare, it is largely beside the point in “solutions journalism,” a new-ish brand of reporting that focuses on solutions to problems, not just the problems themselves…”
https://archive.vn/VhTSZ
-Fauci’s Wife, An NIH Bioethicist Who Never Probed Ethics Of Wuhan Research, Fired
https://dailycaller.com/2025/04/02/faucis-wife-nih-bioethicist-who-never-probed-ethics-wuhan-research-fired/
In “The Way of Kings” from the Stormlight series there is a vivid description of bridgeman leader Kalladin suspended from his ankles by a rope and flopping around in a High Storm. Democrats gonna be feeling like that soon.
Two Wings, One Vulture; Mucha Mierda.
Gonna be a lot of exposing of the compromised as their master$ flail in the winds to come.
Frankly,I would prefer seeing more RINOS butt naked (not literally) as we KNOW Mitch got his $ from BeJing, just like Nanzi did, and there are plenty of others that did, as well.
I have to keep reminding myself, President Trump and his team are not going after the bought quislings in Congress, they are going after the ones who bought them.
I don’t believe you have to remind yourself that at some point the bought quislings at the end of the gravy chain need to be brought to justice. They were the ones who committed the treason. I never stop thinking of that.
Except that Kaladin survived and discovered new strengths… 😉 I doubt the D’s would survive that walloping!
I prefer this method, as hemp is re-usable…
I love Trump.
MAGA every day!
“In a proactive move, the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), went to the European Commission (EC) yesterday to hold talks with von der Leyen, calling for radical change and holding the threat of an exodus to the U.S. over the EC president’s head.”
I guess people over there are going to have to clear their schedules for a lot more meetings
(Kingsman Head Blown Scene – language caution)
Today, Novartis announced plans to invest $23 billion in the US, including a new R&D center in San Diego and new plants to produce pharmaceuticals and intermediates.
E. I. Lily has announced plans to invest billions in new USA production facilities.
INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ –” Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today announced at a press conference in Washington, D.C., plans to bolster its domestic medicine production across therapeutic areas by building four new pharmaceutical manufacturing sites in the United States. This brings the company’s total U.S. capital expansion commitments to more than $50 billion since 2020….
At these four new sites, Lilly expects to create more than 3,000 jobs for highly skilled workers, including engineers, scientists, operations personnel and lab technicians. Additionally, the company anticipates that it could create nearly 10,000 construction jobs during the development of the sites…. ”
https://investor.lilly.com/news-releases/news-release-details/lilly-plans-more-double-us-manufacturing-investment-2020
Come to Texas!
Big Pharma investing more in the US will undermine MAHA.
People are corrupted by the source of their money. This is the principle that was exploited by the architects of the [plandemic+shots] mass manipulation. “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it.” (Upton Sinclair)
The signs are there: The MAHA initiative planted in government “Health” agencies is weak and conspicuously focused on issues other than bio-pharma harm. The Trump MAHA cabinet says NOTHING about the genetic manipulation shots, which were coerced on the majority in the US and are still being injected in US children under cover of falsehoods and coercion by the CDC immunization schedule imposed by doctors and schools.
RFK Jr. is silent on the shots and the growing tsunami of evidence of their grave harm. And not a word about the even worse biowarfare nightmare being prepped for deployment on the West: The self-amplifying modRNA shots, aka samRNA, aka Replicons.
https://tdefender.substack.com/p/europe-approval-self-amplifying-covid-mrna-vaccines-no-long-term-safety-data
The Replicons are essentially a self-replicating synthetic virus that spreads throughout a victim’s body and induces the victim’s cells to produce toxic antigen and more Replicons without end, also spreading to others by shedding, according to multiple experts:
https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/attack-of-the-replicons
With the pharma production shifts, as with everything else in motion now in the US, a problem (pharmaceuticals made outside the US) is used to achieve ulterior goals (reinforcing pharma power in the US, driving more harm to the populace).
As part of the overall apparent ulterior goals: Diminishing the US, raising up the “multi-polar order”.
‘ As part of the overall apparent ulterior goals: Diminishing the US, raising up the “multi-polar order”. ‘
Goals also apparently including:
Destroying trust in US institutions:
https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/covid-19-mrna-triggered-massive-loss
And creating a permanent state of ambiguity, resigned acceptance of untrustable institutions, and cognitive dissonance in the populace:
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/do-you-think-youll-ever-know-now-you-have-handed-your-mind-machine
All part of steering the US down to that diminished end state under complete control. (Also known as “totalitarianism”.)
America being set up to Keep Illegals with these companies investing in the USA?
Next, we need labor.
They should have picked a better location….
Yeah, that was my 1st thought too!
They want to be near a water source to dump their waste. Dump, hand slap, fine, repeat.
Too close to the border?
Borders can be moved.
Just saying.
Bad location IMHO. I wish they could have picked a better state. And not NY either..
I’d skip MA & RI also… Stuff happens & nobody’s ever responsible!
I’m extremely grateful they are coming to the good ole US of A. But WHY California?
Just as Secretary Bessent stated a few days ago. The corps will force these negotiations, not the governments. Komrade Ursula didn’t learn anything from the strong pushback Macron suffered from the French Industries.
Even so, POTUS Trump knows we can never be in a position again as we were with covid and pharmaceuticals again dependent on another country for supplies.
The CovIntern(covidian international) only understands power komrade.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/withdrawing-the-united-states-from-the-worldhealth-organization/
so much happening! Thanks for all the threads today!
WOW! What a difference a day or 2 makes in Trump Admin! MSM was saying a depression to RALLY in less than 2 days! ! SO funny, Trump has a lot of fun, and makes MAGA smile and laugh with Trump’s Trolls! He is the master!
We all know with Trump against the Deep State, … that each day TRUMP will battle for the American People and fight the good fight!
Hoo-raaay!
Mr Comrade EU Commissioner is a physician whose current position is the Medical Director of a Pharma company specializing in cell and gene “therapies”.
Boy oh BOY!!!
Bet their dinner table conversation after a hard day of despotism was spicy.
With a nice Chardonnay of course…😎
“Forget the Cab Sauv or Chardonnay,…. pass me the the 25 year old Cognac tonight, Dear!” ???
Two fresh bottles at the ready, Mein Prinz 😁👍🏻
No glass, Dear,….. tonight I need an IV drip.
Just happen the necessary ready 😎👍🏻
Deleted
Somehow, I am not surprised 🙂 :).
Big Pharma wants (needs) to keep that money rolling in from the drug sales.
Elected officials want to keep campaign contributions flowing into their war chests (personal accounts) from Big Pharma.
It’s a very nice game for them, but not so much for the consumers.
But who cares about the consumers, or sick people……
SOS/DD
Six months ago, pharma was complaining about profits being down and ‘vaccine hesitancy’…so have we thrown them a bone to gnaw on? Am curious as to what they will produce.
Ursula’s just mad because somebody dropped a house on her sister.
Reichsfuhrer von der Leyen has a real problem and she’s not handling it well.
Most European pharmaceutical companies have deep roots in Nazi policies. They benefited from experimentation and innovation from nazi socialism using human subjects they did not like: Jews, Catholic priests and Christian opposition, gypsies.
All these companies should be bankrupted and new pharmaceutical businesses, small and many, started on US soil with US ownership. The logistics will be hard but there are entrepreneurs who can do it given the right conditions. I’ll work for free as a consultant!
Enough of these psychopathic 100 year old european companies providing us with so called medications. I hope we decouple from all these. And hope this is a start.
Yes…. that makes perfect sense.
Pandemic Don drawing big Pharma to American shores.
Bobby Kennedy….. to the white courtesy phone. Secretary Kennedy, call your office…..
Novartis plans to expand its US-based manufacturing and R&D footprint with a total investment of $23B over the next 5 years
Excerpt:
Today, Novartis, a leading global innovative medicines company, announced a planned $23 billion investment over 5 years in US-based infrastructure, ensuring all key Novartis medicines for US patients will be made in the United States.
Ɓ This commitment enables Novartis to expand on its current manufacturing, research and technology presence across the country with 10 facilities, including 7 brand new facilities, creating nearly 1,000 new jobs at Novartis and approximately 4,000 additional US jobs. The production capacity will cover both active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and biologics drug substance, as well as secondary production and packaging.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/novartis-plans-to-expand-its-us-based-manufacturing-and-rd-footprint-with-a-total-investment-of-23b-over-the-next-5-years-302425969.html
According to AI:
“Novartis has numerous locations across Europe, with its global headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. Other notable locations within Europe include manufacturing sites in countries like Switzerland, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK, as well as the Novartis Corporate Center (NOCC) in Prague, Dublin, and Ljubljana. Additionally, Novartis has various research and development (R&D) sites and subsidiaries across the continent. “
I learned something in mediation a few minutes ago. Something that I “thought” was a GOOD thing to do, but was shown it’s not a good thing.
I few days ago I was suggesting Sundance do more Video/Audio Media platform stuff, and I put my “enthusiasm” behind the post. Today I realized I was wrong! Sundance has to follow “his guidance” at the speed and way that works for Sundance. I can think the world of Sundance, but I should just let Sundance be Sundance. Sorry about that.
I flashed over my life when others said to me that I had so much potential, and were thinking nice things about me. That put the “wrong type” of pressure on me. Gee, my intention was “good”, but pushing others to do more … put pressure on them, and it does come back at me… later. I am to relax and align with God’s Spirit, and allow God’s love and wisdom to flow, and “play with others” and not be so driven. I got a lot of amends to make, and it would be nice to have a “fun” time making amends.
This might be my first amends … this kind of amends… take the pressure off my ego, and other people’s ego. Relax and let GOD push me around in his “FUN” way. I will practice this, and practice this, again and again… because my blood pressure goes up easily … “calm down ,Rich, … allow it to happen in GOD’s Time, with God’s Love and Wisdom. 🙂
Yes. Some decades back I realized that just because I could do something didn’t mean I should, whether it was my idea or someone else’s.
Admitting “I was wrong” can be a very freeing experience.
After all, it just means “I LEARNED something”.
And, when I apologise to another, if its sincere I am not doung it for THEM, I am doing it for ME.
“Big Pharma” – who runs the show dontcha know!
A medicated public is a compliant public.
“Better Living Through Chemistry”!!
Moo-ve along citizens!
Yes sir. Maybe if we ate better we wouldn’t need all those meds or think we need them to cope with life. I was never a big fan of medicines or even doctors for that matter and the Plandemic brought that feeling to a whole new level. I’ve been blessed with good genes since I’m on NOTHING except vitamins and prayer at age 68…..and feeling younger everyday.
By the way…..what day is it? :-0
We need to make all of our meds in the USA. Its a very important national security issue.
Small farmers and big pharma will both be more prosperous in Trump’s America!
Everything that was too complicated to ever get done is now too simple not to get done in Trump’s America!
Eggs are cheaper and so’s driving to the store to get the eggs in Trump’s America!
Trump’s America sees every glass as half-full, not half-empty and believes every dark cloud has a silver lining!
Trump’s America is everything I hoped it could be but never thought it would be!
In Trump’s America we are all free to believe what Woody Guthrie sang:
This land is your land, and this land is my land, from California to the New York island
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters, this land was made for you and me
Ain’t Trump’s America grand?
I absolutely love your post and enthusiasm!
I might sound like a contrarian and I’m not trying to be, but the reason I believe President Trump can truly Make America Great Again is because he is not weighed downed by political games, outright bribes, campaign contributions worries, and he certainly is NOT a compromised man. The man has continuously proven he cannot be bought, cajoled, or manipulated. He has surrounded himself by numerous people that the same can be said. It is refreshing to truly see the workings of real people that have worked real jobs and are extraordinarily successful reach for the stars and obtain the true American Dream of Making America Great Again!
It is beautiful thing to behold!
“And the voice of the Turtle is heard throughout the land!”
Thanks for the kind words, TT….and no, you don’t sound contrarian, you sound in the MAGA mainstream, which is a great place to be!
And yes, it is a beautiful thing to behold…to be part of this great movement that’s changing the course of history!
I hope we don’t offer too good of a deal and ouch all of these companies to move to America. I have zero affection for Europe. We’ve died by the tens of thousands for those stupid creeps ! They’ve been nothing but parasites since the WWI.
I only want to hear about a Made In The USA Ivermectin and Fenbendazole Factory in every State. Just Say No To Doctor Dope.
OTC consequence free.
Get Big Harma’s boots off our necks!!
Dope
“Fluoride. Just eat it.” – National Fluoride Council
https://x.com/RobertKennedyJr/status/1852812012478398923
good video included in his post
{ https://thehighwire.com/ark-videos/expert-attorney-exposes-decades-of-fluoride-harms/ }
Based on their 1930’s & 40’s history, IG Farben (Bayer) is very evil. Don’t really want them here.
Well, there Aspirins pretty good. 😏
Trump’s a freaking genius.
I literally wrote a sticky next to my desk after reading the previous blather vomited forth by the EU Obergruppenfuehrerin. “Euro Rx will rebel.” This is too good. C’mon in, the water’s warm. And, once in awhile, it’s good to be right.
That photo…
I really love PDJT’s smirk. It says everything while he’s saying nothing. 💕
This is like steel and microchips. It’s a national security issue.
Lets not forget energy.
Germany tried the windmills and solar panels, and is now trying to ramp up with coal, whereas PDJT says “Hey, build and operate your own powerplant, right next to your factory, so you control costs and reliability.
EU is so screwed ..
The more sick people we create, the more drugs can be sold to them.
Is there any possibility, American companies could make aspirin, acetaminophen and ibuprofen inside the USA again?
I can’t wait for big pharma to be gone. Forever.
“Pharma has a lot of lobbies. A lot of lobbyists, a lot of power.”
–Donald J. Trump, Jan. 12 2017, Fox Business
https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/politics/2016/02/14/80367822/
Ursula von der Leyen has a close association with Big Pharma, since her husband, Heiko, is a director at the U.S. biotechnology company Orgenesis.
There are several scandals involving her buying of mRNA vaccines and her connections to pharmaceutical companies. For more, search online for von der Leyen vaccine scandal or here is a couple of examples:
https://www.bursa.ro/the-company-run-by-ursula-von-der-leyen39s-husband-produces-anti-covid-vaccines-with-european-money-68531153
https://www.politico.eu/article/european-union-prosecutor-covid-vaccine-scandal-ursula-von-der-leyen
the get rich model is here
Looks like the commie got a lesson in capitalism good and hard.
Keep in mind that Ursula von der Leyen is married to Heiko von der Leyen; the Medical Director of Orgenesis. They specialize in cell and gene therapy.
The feeling you get when look around the poker table in order to ‘spot the fish’ & then you realize you can’t locate them, because you’re the ‘fish’ & everyone else has already marked you.
Poor Ursula.
We got Tariffs, we got Embargoes, Sharp Sticks… 🙂
Hang on, we goin for a ride.
uh oh…
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14597525/nyc-hudson-river-helicopter-crash-victims.html
Well, that’s less depressing than the Tulsi thing. Good deal.
If they manufacture antibiotics… BRING ‘EM OVER!
I’ve also heard that their testing for drugs is far more strenuous than our revolving door FDA has been demanding of US Pharm.
Who cares where they are manufactured. The real money is the price gouging of America. If the USA paid the same price as everyone else, the pharmaceuticals would not make anything.
IF all the deaths & maimings they cause were documented & reported accurately they would rightly be out of the gouging business;
starving them down to only producing a small handfull of necessary, actually helpful medicines & cap their profits low & tightly…
would serve America & Humanity best.
I hear a stampede. 😂
von der Leyen might want to ask BigPharma if they have anything to help with moderate to severe stupidity.
The EU product is mostly o.k. Can’t say that about the stuff labeled as “pharmaceutical” coming from India and China.
Most of these medicines aren’t even necessary. As a Stage 4 cancer warrior who has beat and prevented cancer for almost 10 years through alternative means, it is clear to me that most drugs are for treating symptoms only and are only good for making money for Big Pharma.
I am 73 and on no prescriptions. I take the 90 minerals, vitamins with fatty acids from Dr. Joel Wallach and have seen great improvements in my overall health along with staving off cancer. RFK is on the right track and people are walking away from Main Street medicine and Big Pharma.
Good on you Iron Man –
everybody dies of something eventually but we don’t have to let the profiteers kill us!
Kudos. Very wise not to surrender your immune system to BigPharma cancer doctors.
Val Kilmer said that his biggest misery came from the treatment. And once they disabled his immune system with cancer drugs, his body could not fight off pneumonia. He was fully dependent upon the doctors to save him – a task they are not qualified to perform.
“Dead Doctors Don’t Lie”
HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If the EU’s big pharma outfits emigrate their HQs to the USA, will they also move their manufacturing out of China to our heartland?
When a commodity is purchased wholesale by the ton and sold at retail by the 500mg capsule…. That business plan is going to go anywhere it can to continue its operations. The cost of relocation is a trivial expense.
Given Europe’s over-reliance on the ‘factory of the world’, there is
little doubt that the safe, sustainable supply of essential medicines
is now in jeopardy.
Interestingly, it’s not the new, more costly drugs that
are the most vulnerable. “Those rarely go out-of-
stock”, notes Jean-Paul Vernant, a prominent
oncologist at La Pitié-Salpétrière in Paris.
It is the generics — the cheaper equivalents to off-
patent originals, which play a critical role in ensuring
access to quality healthcare across Europe — that are
in trouble.
There are several accepted reasons for this. One is
the choice, by European big pharma, racing for
profitability over the last 30 years, to massively
outsource from China off-patent so-called active
pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) — the chemical
building blocks that give drugs their therapeutic
effects.
Widely used antibiotics, like amoxicillin; painkillers
like aspirin and paracetamol; vaccines against
hepatitis B; even life-sustaining drugs to treat
cancer, like busulfan and zolendric acid – all been
regularly at risk.
In France, 538 medicines of “major therapeutic
interest” faced shortages at some point in 2017,
according to the National Drug Agency. A twelve-fold
increase over 10 years. In the Netherlands there were
2044 reports of impending or actual shortages during
the first half of 2019 alone, up from 1390 for the
whole previous year. Patients were forced to make
do with either no medicine or less effective ones.
In China things occasionally go wrong quickly.
Examples include the forced closure by the
government of 150 facilities due to environmental
concerns between 2016 and 2018, and major safety
scandals like the heparin case in 2008.
The latest horror story to date is valsartan, a common
blood pressure medication. This was found to contain
nitrosamine, a cancer-causing chemical (usually used
to make liquid rocket fuel). The outcry sparked a
global recall of the products in July 2018.