A new report from the European Court of Auditors (ECA) has found that medicine shortages across the EU reached record levels over the past two years. Medicine shortages can affect both innovative and off-patent products, and can become critical when no suitable alternatives are available. According to the ECA, shortages peaked in 2023 and 2024, with 136 medicines being categorised as being in critical shortage between January 2022 and October 2024. Additional risks arise from stockpiling and the lack of cross-border coordination on critical medicine availability. “The EU needs an effective remedy to cure critical shortages and must tackle them at their roots, as a matter of European strategic autonomy,” Lehne added