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Zentiva Raises Alarm About EU's Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive
BRUSSELS and PRAGUE , Nov. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite numerous warnings and serious concerns from the industry and 15 member states about the consequences of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive, it has been formally adopted today by the European Council. The costs of this system, ranging between €5 billion per year according to German cost projections and and €11 billion per year according to European water industry sources, would create massive medicine shortages, have catastrophic consequences for patient access to medicines, and jeopardize the sustainability of healthcare systems in Europe . Generic medicines, which represent 70% of all prescribed medicines in Europe and 9 out of 10 critical medicines while accounting for just 19% of the market value , are particularly vulnerable to the UWWTD tax due to their high volumes and strictly capped prices. The medicines most at risk from this system are those needed by hundreds of millions of European citizens.
says Steffen Saltofte, CEO of Zentiva.
At Zentiva, we believe patients must not suffer the consequences of this unworkable and unfair European law. Our medicines are produced at high volumes and cost only a few eurocents a day, making it impossible to further absorb costs like this new waste water tax.
" ," comments Steffen Saltofte on the impact.
The implementation of the Green Deal and its implications for the pharmaceutical industry, especially for the Generics Industry in Europe , is far-reaching. While the industry supports the Paris Agreement, the systemic framework in which the industry is currently operating has become a real challenge. To ensure that both environmental and healthcare objectives are met, we call for a comprehensive review of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive. To prevent negative outcomes, a better-balanced model needs to be adopted that includes broader contributions and ensures that we are able to meet environmental goals without compromising a sustainable healthcare in Europe .
About Zentiva
Zentiva is a Pan-European Platform developing, manufacturing and providing high-quality and affordable medicines to more than 100 million people in Europe and beyond. Zentiva has 4 wholly owned manufacturing sites and a broad network of external manufacturing partners to ensure supply security. We are offering solutions in key therapeutical areas like Cardiology & Circulation, Diabetes, Oncology, Respiratory, CNS, and focus on expanding our portfolio in self-care. The company is Private Equity owned, delivering sustainable double-digit growth, with an ambitious 5-year plan for further strong growth across Europe .
The company has a comprehensive Sustainability Strategy focusing on decarbonization, efficiency of energy and water consumption and investments into circular economy for its waste management. All targets and activities are published on an annual base in the Sustainability Report, available on the website.
We are a team of more than 5,000 unique talents bonded together to deliver on our purpose, providing health and wellbeing for all generations. We want Zentiva to be a great place to work, where everyone feels welcomed and appreciated, and can be their true selves contributing to the best of their ability.
German Environment Agency, Scientific Opinion Paper "Moving forward: The European Commission's Proposal for a Recast Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive",
April 2023 , p. 7-8, available
here
EurEau, Position Paper on the Proposal for a Directive concerning urban wastewater treatment (recast),
February 2023 , p. 5, available
here
IQVIA, "Beneath the Surface: Unravelling the True Value of Generic Medicines",
April 2024 , available
here
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