AstraZeneca has warned that Germany risks losing access to new medicines if it moves ahead with plans to tighten controls on pharmaceutical spending, according to comments by the company\u2019s CEO. <\/p>\n
Speaking to German newspaper Handelsblatt, CEO Pascal Soriot said proposed cost-cutting measures in the country\u2019s healthcare system could discourage drugmakers from launching new treatments in Germany, News.Az<\/a> reports, citing Reuters<\/a>.<\/p>\n He said that when companies are unable to introduce certain products in key markets, it creates serious challenges for the industry and could ultimately limit patient access to innovative therapies.<\/p>\n The warning comes as Germany\u2019s<\/a> coalition government considers reforms aimed at closing a \u20ac20 billion gap in its statutory health insurance system, including stricter pricing rules for patented medicines.<\/p>\n Soriot also pointed to growing pressure from the United States, where policymakers are pushing pharmaceutical companies to lower drug prices and align them more closely with international benchmarks.<\/p>\n According to AstraZeneca, such global pricing pressures are already influencing launch strategies in Europe, with some companies delaying or reconsidering the rollout of new drugs.<\/p>\n The CEO cautioned that Europe risks becoming less attractive for pharmaceutical research and development if regulatory and pricing pressures continue to increase, potentially shifting investment and innovation elsewhere.<\/p>\n