Greece: Only one in five new medicines reaches patients

EuroNews · 🇫🇷 public France · May 28, 2026 · 1261 words · By Symela Touchtidou

Greek Economic Policy Legacy Pharmaceutical Industry Interests Healthcare Access Inequality

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What to know about Greek Economic Policy Legacy

Greeks wait almost two years for access to new treatments, while pharmaceutical companies increasingly say they do not intend to launch new products in the country.

Claims checked 15

Techniques found 3

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Greeks wait almost two years for access to new treatments, while pharmaceutical companies increasingly say they do not intend to launch new products in the country.

Why it matters

Europe is entering a new era of medical and pharmaceutical innovation, with treatments that promise to radically transform the management of cancer, rare diseases and chronic conditions.

Common ground

Yet for many Greek patients, this innovation still feels very distant.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Appeal to Fear, Appeal to Pity: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Greek Economic Policy Legacy story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that examined the trajectory of 214 new innovative medicines approved by the EMA in the period 2022-2025. Of these, only 42 – around 20% – are currently available on the Greek market?
How does this story connect Greek Economic Policy Legacy with Pharmaceutical Industry Interests over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.euronews.com/health/2026/05/28/greece-only-one-in-five-new-medicines…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

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Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Appeal to Fear 60% confidence

Building support by instilling anxiety or panic in the audience.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to fear helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Appeal to Pity 70% confidence

Evoking sympathy to win support rather than using logical arguments.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to pity helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 15 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 5

info Single Source 4

check_circle Corroborated 3

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified Verified 1

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Claim 1: “examined the trajectory of 214 new innovative medicines approved by the EMA in the period 2022-2025. Of these, only 42 – around 20% – are currently available on the Greek market.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web search results confirm the study of 214 innovative medicines (2022-2025) and that only 42 (approx 20%) are available in Greece.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ivermectin is an antiparasitic medication. After its discovery in 1975, its first uses were in veterinary medicine to prevent and treat heartworm and acariasis. Approved for human use in 1987, it is u…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivermectin

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Semaglutide is an anti-diabetic medication used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, and an anti-obesity medication used for weight management. It can be administered by subcutaneous injection or tak…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semaglutide

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is an herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Caprifoliaceae, native to Europe and southwestern Asia. It is the type species of the genus Valeriana.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valerian_(herb)

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 2: “For the latter [combination therapies], the availability rate in Greece has collapsed to 30%, from 57% in the previous measurement.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 3: “The share of medicines estimated "not to be placed on the market" rose from 49% in the period 2021-2024 to 62% for the period 2022-2025.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 4: “Only 2 of the 41 priced medicines are considered "certain" to be available in future to Greek patients.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to verify or refute this claim.

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Claim 5: “only 28% of new medicines are fully available to European patients through national reimbursement systems.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 6: “Of these, just 36 are fully accessible to patients through the reimbursement system”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web search results confirm that of the 69 medicines, only 36 are fully accessible via the reimbursement system.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A COVID‑19 vaccine is designed to induce immunity against SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19 vaccines help reduce the risk of severe illness, hospitali…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_vaccine

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in man…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother's_Day

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — "Not Like Us" is a diss track by the American rapper Kendrick Lamar released amidst his highly publicized feud with the Canadian rapper Drake. It was released on May 4, 2024, through Interscope Record…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_Like_Us

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “the 654 days recorded in the previous study”

VERIFIED

The figure of 654 days is confirmed by both a news report and an official OECD Country Health Profile 2025 PDF.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Year 654 (DCLIV) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 654 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era bec…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/654

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Greece is a developed country with a mixed economy. The Greek economy is the 50th-largest by nominal gross domestic product (GDP) and 54th-largest by purchasing power parity (PPP). It is the 16th-larg…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Greece

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In ancient Greece, deities were regarded as anthropomorphic, immortal, and powerful. They were conceived of as persons rather than abstract concepts, and were described as similar to humans in appeara…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Greek_deities

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 8: “The country shows an availability rate of 41%, compared with a European average of 45%. By contrast, Germany reaches 93%, Austria 85% and Italy 79%.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The availability rates (Greece 41%, EU 45%, Germany 93%, Austria 85%, Italy 79%) are reported in one source but not corroborated by other independent evidence provided.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 28, 2026 · Greece also ranks low in the overall availability of new medicines in Europe. The country shows an availability rate of 41%, compared with a ...
https://uk.style.yahoo.com/greece-only-one-five-medicines-07…

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web search NEUTRAL — A record number of new, innovative medicines launched globally in 2021. PhRMA's Global. Access to New Medicines Report examines.
https://cdn.aglty.io/phrma/global/blog/import/pdfs/2023-04-2…

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web search NEUTRAL — The purpose of this paper is to examine the level of digital transformation achieved in Greece and Cyprus, in accordance with the countries' political and ...
https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=13159…

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Claim 9: “According to the W.A.I.T. Indicator study, the average time to availability in the EU now stands at 597 days, up on the previous year.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 10: “Only 69 of the 168 new medicines approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in the period 2021-2024 have reached Greece.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web search results explicitly state that 69 out of 168 EMA-approved medicines (2021-2024) reached the Greek market.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In biology, chimeric antigen receptors (CARs)—also known as chimeric immunoreceptors, chimeric T cell receptors or artificial T cell receptors—are receptor proteins that have been engineered to give T…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAR_T_cell

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Gene therapy is medical technology that aims to produce a therapeutic effect through the manipulation of gene expression or through altering the biological properties of living cells. The first attemp…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_therapy

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+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 11: “Germany, where access to new medicines is achieved in just 158 days on average.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The 158-day figure for Germany appears in one web search result snippet, but is not corroborated by the other provided search results which discuss Germany generally without this specific number.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Dec 11, 2024 ... The EU countries vary in their rate of availability and time to availability, and the majority of the EU fall behind the U.S. in both metrics, ...
https://www.iqvia.com/insights/the-iqvia-institute/reports-a…

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web search NEUTRAL — Despite these improvements, the mean time from HTA decision to reimbursement rose from 222 days in 2020 to 461 days in 2024 overall, with conditional decisions ...
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/…

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web search NEUTRAL — Poland, the average duration of the reimbursement process has been shortened by. 250 days over the last 3 years, ultimately, the process is to last one year ...
https://www.valueinhealthjournal.com/article/S1098-3015(24)0…

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Claim 12: “According to EFPIA data, it takes an average of 641 days – almost 21 months – from the European approval of a medicine until it is reimbursed in Greece.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the claim appears in the provided context of the article, the specific '641 days' figure is not corroborated by other independent sources in the provided evidence; the search results for this specific claim returned general definitions of 'average'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Egypt, officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Nieuport 27 (or Nieuport XXVII C.1 in contemporary sources) was a World War I French sesquiplane fighter aircraft designed by Gustave Delage. The 27 was the last of the line of Nieuport "V-strut" …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nieuport_27

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Nieuport IV was a French-built sporting, training and reconnaissance monoplane of the early 1910s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nieuport_IV

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 13: “In Italy the corresponding time is 441 days, while in Austria it is 363 days.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific figures for Italy (441 days) and Austria (363 days) are mentioned in one source but not corroborated by independent sources in the provided evidence.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 28, 2026 · ... access to new medicines is achieved in just 158 days on average. In Italy the corresponding time is 441 days, while in Austria it is 363 days.
https://uk.style.yahoo.com/greece-only-one-five-medicines-07…

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web search NEUTRAL — This report argues that it is important that a comprehensive medicines policy be developed in Estonia, with clear objectives to address issues of financing, ...
https://iris.who.int/bitstreams/9949ffc5-d3f6-4664-a2fc-d1f1…

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web search NEUTRAL — Aug 10, 2011 · Time to marketing approval for new medicines tends to exceed established targets, and markedly increased in 2018. However, with the exception of ...
https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/topics/policy-sub-i…

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Claim 14: “101 of the 131 new innovative medicines that do not yet have a price in Greece are estimated never to be launched in the country, based on the companies’ own responses.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to verify or refute this claim.

schedule

Claim 15: “replacing countries such as Germany, Austria and Italy with Poland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic in the new reference system could add around 79 extra days of delay to the availability of new medicines in Greece.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.