On the 1st of January 2025, the Nordic countries launched a pilot project introducing English-language joint Nordic medicine packages. The aim is to strengthen supply security and availability to low volume essential hospital products across all Nordic countries.
The project is testing common Nordic packages with English text as an alternative in cases where there are challenges with the availability of medicines used in hospitals in two or more Nordic countries – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.
“It is safe to use packaging in English, as healthcare professionals have access to updated electronic package leaflets in Norwegian,” says Dag Jordbru, Strategic director, Regulatory affairs and better use of medicine at NOMA.
Fortynine active substances included
The pilot is progressing well, and as of February 19th, 19 medicines have been approved for use with English-language common Nordic packages in two or more of the participating countries.
“We are pleased to see the positive response from marketing authorisation holders/producers. This initiative is important to help secure access to critical hospital medicines. We look forward to seeing more of the approved products available at Norwegian hospitals,” Jordbru says.
To apply for inclusion in the pilot, the active substance of a medicine must be included in the scheme for joint Nordic packages. The list of substances for which companies may apply is available here. Companies with medicines that meet the criteria are encouraged to apply for inclusion in the scheme.
When the Nordic list of active substances eligible for the pilot was launched in January 2025, it contained 20 active substances. The list has now been expanded to include 49 active substances or combinations of active substances.
Encouraging companies to participate
The Nordic medicines authorities continuously monitor the market to assess whether adjustments to the pilot are needed. One example is the extension introduced last autumn, allowing joint Nordic packages in English to be combined with another European language for medicine approved through the centralised procedure.
"We encourage relevant pharmaceutical companies to apply for participation in the pilot to strengthen supply security for these medicinal products throughout the Nordics. This can simplify production and distribution and also help ensure that patients gain better access to essential medicines," says Jordbru.
You can find the application form here.
You can read more about the pilot here.