Unintended global ’side effects’ of EU’s medicines policy

The European Union's laws, regulations and policies regarding access to medicines are having unintended consequences in lowand middle-income countries, according to new research from the UvA's Law Centre for Health and Life, published today in the journal Lancet Regional Health - Europe. The research team, led by Dr Katrina Perehudoff, found that EU policy makers were adopting measures that were influencing access to medicines in developing countries while not always intending these global 'side effects'. These findings are particularly relevant in the current moment, since the EU has a vested interest in helping the world to access medicines and, especially, vaccines. Furthermore, a reliable and affordable global supply of medicines and vaccines is critical for the EU's own health systems and security, and its political and economic stability, as the Covid-19 pandemic has shown. In addition, because of international treaties they have signed, European countries also have a legal duty to assist other countries in gaining access to essential medicines. Effects far beyond our borders . Co-author Dr Anniek de Ruijter: 'We found that the EU's global influence over medicines occurs in a number of ways, some of which are unintended.