Update – Health Minister: Romania has triggered the civil protection mechanism for immunoglobulin. Austria, the first country to react

Health Minister, Sorina Pintea, announced Monday evening that Romania has triggered the civil protection mechanism for immunoglobulin, as the medicine lacks from the domestic market.

“The reason is obvious, i.e. the lack of immunoglobulin from the domestic market, the medicine is not available for the patients. We’ve made efforts, the Government has suspended the clowback tax and nothing happened. In March there is no chance to have any vial with this drug. We have promises for April. We’ve received the go-ahead from the Premier to activate the procedure. It is about the alert at European level, we request immunoglobulin at European level,” Sorina Pintea said for Antena 3 TV private broadcaster.

“I believe that the start of this procedure was necessary,” she said, adding that Romania needs this medicine now, about 5,000 vials per month.

Later in the evening, the Health Ministry has issued a communiqué on the reason for activating the mechanism.

“The Health Ministry has informed the National Local Office of the European Civil Protection Mechanism within the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations about the decision and about the need that the institution requests the support of the EU Member States for the supply to Romania of the available immunoglobulin quantities,” the release reads.

The ministry added that the lack of the medicine on the domestic market is due to the withdrawal from the market of the producers which supplied more than 80% of the quantities needed.

The Red Cross in Austria, the first to react

Austria is the first country to respond to Romania’s call for immunoglobulin following the launch of the European Civil Protection Mechanism.

“We already have a reply from an EU Member State. We’ve been in contact and they have requested more information regarding the characteristics needed. It is about the Red Cross in Austria, we already have a first reaction,” Health Minister Sorina Pintea has said on Tuesday, during a press confidence.

She added that State Secretary Raed Arafat is in Brussels to attend a NATO sitting, where he has filed a request for immunoglobulin. Minister Pintea also said that Romania has requested through the European Civil Protection Mechanism, a quantity needed for two months (i.e. 10,000 doses of immunoglobulin).

The minister has also announced that the deadline for ‘the correction of medicine prices’ is prorogued from April 1 to September 1. “For some drugs the prices might go up, for some the prices might fall. According to our preliminary calculations, no significant increases will be registered,” the minister said.

austriaBrusselscivil protection mechanismclowbacl taxdomestic marketdrughealth ministerimmunoglobulinInspectorate for Emergency SituationsMedicinemedicine pricesnatopremierRaed Arafatred crosssorina pintea
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