Adam Jarubas· PPE

Nuanced

Today we import 80% of life-saving generic medicines.

Omissions

• The 80% figure refers to Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) - raw materials used in drug manufacturing - not finished 'life-saving generic medicines'
• The speaker conflates APIs with finished pharmaceutical products
• The statistic covers all pharmaceutical production, not specifically 'life-saving' generics
• The claim does not distinguish between generic and originator medicines in the API dependency figure

Sources

• PrimaryEFPIA - Production, import dependencies and export vulnerabilities of pharmaceuticals for the EU27For Active Pharmaceutical Products (APIs), 23% in volume terms coming from China; discusses EU dependency on API imports
• AcademicPharmacia - The European Union's dependence on imports of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs)Up to 80% of the chemical substances required for pharmaceutical production in the EU are sourced or synthesized from imports