13.01.2025
Last week, the French government announced support for seven new industrial investment projects as part of the “France 2030” plan. These projects aim to strengthen or relocate the production of critical medicines in France, including the manufacturing of active ingredients and finished products.
This ambitious initiative was unveiled by ministers from various sectors, highlighting the critical importance of ensuring access to medicines on a broader scale.
It is part of the government’s priority to regain healthcare sovereignty by reducing reliance on imports of essential medicines from outside Europe.
Strengthening the production of 42 vital medicines in France
The newly announced seven projects complement another seven initiated in June 2023, bringing the total public support to nearly €50 million. The funding, allocated under the France 2030 plan, aims to stimulate approximately €300 million in industrial investments within the sector.
French Minister for Labor, Health, Solidarity, and Family Affairs, Catherine Vautrin, emphasized the government’s strategic fight against medicine shortages, which includes significant industrial action:
“This is why the government is resolutely committed to promoting medicine production in France. This is a crucial sovereignty issue that impacts us all—patients, healthcare professionals, the supply chain, and the industrial sector.”
In return for public funding, pharmaceutical companies have pledged to ensure medicine availability for the French market.
A dual sovereignty challenge: industrial and healthcare
Minister of Economy, Finance, and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, Éric Lombard, underscored that restoring the production of essential medicines to France and Europe is a dual challenge for both industrial and healthcare sovereignty. He reiterated the government’s strong commitment to fostering the pharmaceutical sector domestically.
The supported projects aim to reinforce national production of 42 critical medicines, whose supply is vulnerable due to dependency on imports from outside Europe.
Securing Medicine Availability for All
Yannick Neider, Minister for Healthcare Access, stated:
“This state support for repatriating essential medicine production marks a new and significant step in ensuring access to medicines for all our citizens. It continues the government’s extensive efforts to combat medicine shortages as part of a three-year plan focused on guaranteeing medicine availability for the French population. Our commitment to this issue is absolute and unwavering.”
Minister of Industry and Energy, Marc Ferracci, highlighted that restoring France’s long-term healthcare sovereignty requires strengthening the capacity to produce essential medicines within France and Europe:
“These projects, supported under the France 2030 plan, aim to provide our manufacturers with the tools to compete fairly with rivals outside Europe.”
