Unlocking digital access to medicines for resilient cross-border EU health

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As the European Union (EU) is almost a year into its new legislative cycle, the focus is rapidly shifting from policy design to implementation. While progress has been made at the EU level on several key health and digital files, the practical delivery of these initiatives depends heavily on Member States.

One area where this gap is particularly evident is digital access to prescription medicines. 19 EU Member States still restrict or block the online dispensing of prescription medicines. This regulatory fragmentation leaves millions of patients — particularly those in rural areas, with chronic conditions, or requiring repeat prescriptions — unable to access the most basic form of digital healthcare.

At the same time, Europe is grappling with broader structural challenges: an ageing population, a strained health workforce, and increased patient mobility across borders. The OnHOME Alliance positions digital access to medicines not as a niche innovation, but as a pillar of health system resilience, continuity of care, and patient empowerment. The Alliance’s approach is aligned with the EU’s digital transformation agenda and offers a horizontal solution that supports existing legislative frameworks.

This in-person only event, hosted by MEP Michalis Hadjipantela (EPP, Cyprus) in collaboration with the OnHOME Alliance, aims to foster dialogue among policymakers, healthcare professionals, patient representatives, and industry stakeholders on advancing digital access to medicines for resilient cross-border EU health and will:

• Unveil the findings from OnHOME’s 2025 patient survey, capturing attitudes and needs around digital access
• Launch the revised OnHOME Alliance Call to Action, reframing online access to medicines as a core enabler of continuity of care and health systems resilience
• Showcase how digital access advances broader EU goals, such as modernising cross-border healthcare rules and tackling healthcare workforce shortages

Preliminary agenda:

• 16:00 – 16:15: Welcome and opening remarks by MEP Hadjipantela (EPP, Cyprus)
• 16:15 – 16:30: Presentation of the Patient Survey on “Assessing preferences and behaviours to online pharmacy services for obtaining prescription medicines” – Oksana Pyzik, MPharm, MRPharmS, FHEA, Associate Professor, UCL School of Pharmacy
• 16:30 – 16:45: Presentation of the Updated Call to Action – Martino Canonico (OnHOME Alliance)
• 16:45 – 17:30: Panel Discussion (including Fulvia Raffaelli, Head of Unit C1 (Digital Health), DG SANTE)
• 17:30 – 17:45: Q&A
• 17:45 – 18:00: Closing remarks – Member of the European Parliament (tbc)

Moderator: Charlotte Van Velthoven

**The OnHOME Alliance, comprising of 44 partners, has the objective to enable patients throughout Europe to receive their prescription medicines online. 8 Member States have provided this benefit for many years now, leaving 19 that do not. The Alliance aims to remove such inequality so that all patients throughout the EU may have the convenience and efficiency of a safe and secure way of receiving prescription medicines directly to their home or delivery address of their choice