Lisbon, July 30, 2025 (Lusa) - The Portuguese Pharmaceutical Industry Association (Apifarma) warned on Wednesday that tariffs on drugs are “an ineffective tool” that will disrupt supply chains and affect investment in research and patient access to medicines.
The trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and the United States, reached on Sunday, sets US customs tariffs on European products at 15%.
When the Lusa news agency asked about the impact of tariffs on medicines, Apifarma said that the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) had issued a statement saying that it “continues to analyse the announcements on the trade agreement between the EU and the US, as the main implications for the pharmaceutical sector are still emerging”.
However, for the Portuguese association, “tariffs on medicines fail to support supply chains, hinder investment in research and development, and ultimately limit patient access to medicines on both sides of the Atlantic”.
“If the intention is to ensure pharmaceutical investment in research, development and manufacturing, rebalance trade and ensure a fairer distribution of funding for pharmaceutical innovation worldwide, there are more effective means than tariffs that would help, rather than harm, global progress in patient care and economic growth,” Apifarma argues in a written response to Lusa.
From a European perspective, it stresses that this means rethinking how innovation is valued, “significantly increasing what the region spends on innovative medicines and creating an operating environment that can accelerate the transformation of excellent European science into new treatments”.
Apifarma also says it is aligned with EFPIA’s position and will continue to monitor the situation as it evolves.
The trade agreement between the EU and the United States provides that 15% tariffs on EU products will apply “to most sectors, such as cars, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals,” the head of the EU government, Ursula Von der Leyen, said on Sunday.
Donald Trump had previously stated that pharmaceuticals were excluded from the negotiations, but the White House released a fact check on Monday that confirmed: “The European Union will pay the United States a 15% tariff, including on automobiles and auto parts, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors.”
In reality, it is the US importer who pays the tariffs, not the exporter.
On Tuesday, the EU explained that the agreement, which is still preliminary and has details pending, should exempt strategic sectors such as semiconductors, aerospace components and some pharmaceutical products.
The US and EU countries trade around €4.4 billion in goods and services every day.
HN/ADB // ADB.
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