Swiss drugmaker complains of Chinese antibiotics dumping

Sandoz on the offensive against Chinese antibiotics on sale Keystone-SDA

Swiss pharma firm Sandoz is stepping up its criticism of imports of low-priced antibiotics from China.

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The Swiss generics giant has submitted a draft complaint to the European Commission.

The group is targeting imports of penicillin – the active ingredient in amoxicillin – from China. According to the company, Chinese suppliers are heavily subsidised and can therefore offer antibiotics at very low prices, distorting competition.

“Up to 90% of the world’s antibiotic active substances are now produced outside Europe, mainly in China. This situation constitutes a critical strategic vulnerability, with direct consequences for public health, crisis preparedness and Europe’s ability to defend its status in a rapidly changing world,” stated CEO Richard Saynor.

Sandoz is particularly critical of the role of Chinese suppliers, who influence the market with heavily subsidised and therefore cheap antibiotics. “I don’t think that politicians are unaware of this,” explained the CEO in an interview with AWP. He believes that European decision-makers have been “too hesitant for too long”.

Saynor criticized policymakers for reacting too slowly. In his view, antibiotics are often valued only for their low price rather than their essential role in healthcare. For Richard Saynor, this is the fundamental problem. “Antibiotics are systematically undervalued, even though they play a central role in healthcare.”

Sandoz says it is fighting to keep Europe’s last remaining antibiotics plant in operation, the Kundl site in Austria, which celebrates its 80th anniversary on Thursday.

Saynor acknowledges, however, that the European Union has made progress in the area of antibiotic supply under the “Alpbach Communiqué”, adopted at the end of a forum held in the Austrian town of Alpbach.

This memorandum stipulates that at least 30% of European countries’ supplies should come from suppliers on the continent.

The draft European law on essential medicines (Critical Medicines Act) is also a step in the right direction, but the details of its implementation remain unclear, says the Sandoz CEO.

The multinational is calling on Europe to follow the example of India, which already imposes minimum import prices to protect its own antibiotic production.

Adapted from French by AI/mga

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