Why do we value a Mars bar more than life-saving medicine?' Sandoz CEO calls for level playing field with cheap Chinese antibiotics | Fortune

Sandoz CEO Richard Saynor warned that Europe’s reliance on low-cost Chinese antibiotic ingredients could become a vulnerability for public health and defense. In evidence to UK lawmakers, he said 86% of EU imports of penicillins and derivatives came from China last year, up from 44% in 2019, citing Eurostat. Sandoz’s €150 million ($168 million) Kundl, Austria plant is described as Europe’s only fully integrated antibiotic manufacturing site, producing both active ingredients and finished medication. The company argues China’s “market-distorting” pricing and subsidies have pushed competitors down and sought an anti-dumping probe over amoxicillin ingredient imports. Saynor criticized current pay levels for drugs, asking why a pack of antibiotics should cost less than a Mars bar.