The answer is provided by EFPIA’s annual WAIT indicator (press releases, reports). First, we see a large reduction in the share of pharmaceuticals with full availability, offset by a small increase in low availability but a large increase in the number of medicines that have only limited availability. especially,
Historically full availability was the primary route of access, however, restrictions are now common.
In 2025, almost half (49%) in Europe are not available to patients – up from 46% in 2019.
In 2025, 17% are available only under restricted conditions (6% in 2019).
In 2025, the share of fully available drugs on the public reimbursement list is expected to decline to 28% from 42% in 2019.
Waiting times to access new treatments were highly variable across countries.
The average time of availability is 532 daysfrom to From 56 days in Germany to 1,201 days in Romania…One 88% access inequality Between the highest and lowest European country.
Delays in patient access have increased since the 2019 survey, with the average time to patient access increasing from 504 days [2019 survey] to 597 days [2025 survey]
The report also breaks down access restrictions and delays by drug type (i.e., oncology, rare disease, other). Quite interesting statistics.
