THE ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN HEALTH EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE AUTHORITY AND THE IMPACT OF THE JOINT PROCUREMENT AGREEMENT ON THE ACCESS OF MEDICAL COUNTERMEASURESSUCH AS VEKLURY (REMDESIVIR) IN BULGARIA

Abstract

In 2014, the European Commission launched the Joint Procurement Agreement (JPA), which allows the EU to take additional measures to improve public health, as well as to combat serious cross-border health threats. The JPA aims to increase access to safe, effective and affordable medicinal productsto the participating countries in the Joint Procurement Agreement. The study examines certain medicinal products and vaccines that have been provided to Member States thanks to the JPA mechanism. The aim is to track the overall effect: from access to relevant medicines to the improvement of public health. Materials and methods: Analysis of data from national and European sources, including data on the accessibility of medicinal products in countries of the European Union that participate in the Joint Procurement Agreement and the information regarding availability of the medicinal product Veklury (INN Remdesivir). Results: Data analysis showed that access to relevant medicines led to improvements in patient health, including reductions in disability and mortality and reductions in healthcare costs. Conclusion: The results of the study show that the Directorate General HERA of the European Commission plays an important role in improving public health in the European Union. Through the Joint Procurement Agreement, HERA facilitates Member States' access to safe, effective and affordable medicines, vaccines and medical devices. The HERA Invest funding initiative to promote research and development of medical countermeasures and technologies will also help address priority cross-border health threats. During global pandemics and the need for rapid reactions on the part of the Union – the JPA remains the first choice of Member States in their fight against future epidemics/ pandemics.