13 March 2026

Ahead of the next round of negotiations between the Council of the EU,  the European Parliament, and the European Commission on 16 March 2026, the Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECL) and the European Fair Pricing Network (EFPN) are calling for the systemic use of joint procurement for medicines to strengthen cooperation between countries while putting transparency and equity at the heart of the Critical Medicines Act.  

“One in five critical medicines in the EU is used to treat cancer. Any disruption or delays in the supply of these drugs can have serious and immediate consequences on patients’ lives,” said Toma Mikalauskaitė, Head of Policy at the Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECL).  

“We urge EU decisionmakers to seize this moment and deliver an ambitious Critical Medicines Act that ensures patients across the continent have timely and equitable access to life-saving treatments.”  

Cancer medicines are among those most affected by shortages, despite their high demand. In 2025, the European Commission, the European Medicines Agency, and the Heads of Medicines Agencies classified 64 cancer drugs as critical, highlighting their essential role in patient care across the EU. 

At the same time, a new study published this week by the European Fair Pricing Network reveals that hospitals across Europe pay vastly different prices for the exact same life-saving cancer medicines. In some cases, prices vary by more than 600% between hospitals. These disparities are largely driven by price confidentiality, preventing hospitals and national authorities from comparing prices, significantly weakening their negotiating power.  

In a new joint position paper, ECL and EFPN call on EU decisionmakers to address the lack of transparency and better protect patients’ rights to timely and affordable access to medicines by strengthening joint procurement mechanisms at the EU level. Doing so would help reduce price disparities, improve affordability, increase attractiveness of smaller markets, and support more equitable access to medicines across the EU.  

The groups also outline five additional recommendations to ensure the Critical Medicines Act truly delivers: 

• Require project promoters to disclose how the public funding they receive is used in the creation, expansion, or modernisation of manufacturing capacity within the EU.  

• Provide dedicated EU funding for strategic projects beyond existing budget envelopes to avoid the concentration of reshored manufacturing capacity in EU countries with greater fiscal capacity or established pharmaceutical industries. 

• Develop EU-wide guidelines on contingency stocks and national stockpiles to ensure coherent national practices, minimise market distortions, and protect equitable access across the EU.  

• Establish an EU-wide coordination mechanism to monitor the availability and distribution of critical medicines, enabling the equitable redistribution of medicines as a last-resort measure. 

• Strengthen the governance, transparency, and inclusiveness of the Critical Medicines Coordination Group (CMCG), by ensuring patient organisations and healthcare professionals are represented.  

By taking these steps, EU policymakers can help prevent shortages, improve access and protect patients across Europe. 

About us:

The Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECL) is a non-profit umbrella organisation bringing together 35 national and regional cancer societies advocating for improved cancer control and care across Europe. Transparency registry number: 19265592757-25 

The European Fair Pricing Network (EFPN) is an initiative from the Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECL), the Cyprus Association of Cancer Patients and Friends, the Dutch Cancer Society, the Netherlands Cancer Institute, the Nordic Cancer Union, the Norwegian Cancer Society, the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI), Stand Up To Cancer Flanders, and the Swiss Cancer League.