The answer is provided by EFPIA’s annual WAIT indicator (press release, report). First, we see a large decrease in the share of pharmaceuticals fully availbity, drive by a small increase in reduced availability but a much larger increase in the number of drugs that only have a limited availability. Specifically,
Historically full availability was the primary route of access, however, now restrictions are commonplace.
In 2025, close to half (49%) are not available to patients in Europe – up from 46% in 2019.
In 2025, 17% are only available under restricted conditions (6% in 2019).
In 2025, the share of medicines fully available on public reimbursement lists has declined substantially to 28%, down from 42% in 2019.
Wait times to access new treatments were highly variable across countries.
The median time to availability is 532 days, ranging from 56 days in Germany to 1,201 days in Romania…An 88% access disparity between the highest and lowest European country.,,
Delays to patient access have increased since the 2019 survey, with the average time to patient access rising from 504 days [2019 survey] to 597 days [2025 survey]
The report also breaks down access restrictions and delays by type of medicine (i.e., oncology, rare disease, other). Interesting statistics throughout.
