EFPIA - NEWSLETTER

EFPIA Newsletter 21 May 2026

Patients in Europe waiting longer for new medicines as inequality grows between Member States

The latest WAIT Indicator shows a system under strain. This is not new, but it is getting worse.

The median time to availability is 532 days, ranging from 56 days in Germany to 1,201 days in Romania
49% of medicines are not available to patients in Europe

And the pressure is no longer just internal. The introduction of the MFN could further influence where and when new medicines are launched, with implications for access in Europe.

News

20 May 2026 EFPIA and Vaccines Europe welcome the Commission’s Global Health Resilience Initiative and...

EFPIA and Vaccines Europe welcome the publication of the European Commission Communication on “Reinforcing Global Health...

Events

03 JUN 2026

European Conference on Rare Diseases and Orphan Products (ECRD) 2026 Prague & Online

The next ECRD will be held on 3 & 4 June 2026 in Prague and will be titled “Rare Diseases in a Changing & Competitive...

Learn more →

03 JUN 2026

Scaling Competitive Biopharma in Europe London & Online

This high-level briefing from the Financial Times, in partnership with Syneos Health, will bring together leading executives...

Learn more →

What we are reading

Monitoring the European clinical trials environment 20 May 2026 (European Commission)

Joint Declaration on Strengthening the Pharmaceutical Industry in Europe 18 May 2026 (German and French Ministries of Health)

Vaccines and ageing: Helping older people decide 15 May 2026 (Vaccines Today)

Countries compete to reform trials in a bid to attract global sponsors 14 May 2026 (Yahoo! Finance)

About the EFPIA newsletter

The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) represents the pharmaceutical industry operating in Europe. Through its direct membership of 37 national associations and 40 leading pharmaceutical companies, EFPIA is the voice on the EU scene of 1,900 companies committed to researching, developing and bringing to patients new medicines that will improve health and the quality of life around the world.

Tel: +32 (0)2 626 25 55
Communications@efpia.eu

▶