The European Parliament has voted for measures to combat antibiotic resistance and to end the use of mercury amalgam dental fillings.
MEPs adopted their position on a comprehensive reform of EU pharmaceutical legislation in Brussels on Wednesday, the Parliament announced. The aim is to boost the development of new preparations.
"This revision paves the way to addressing critical challenges such as medicines shortages and antimicrobial resistance," said Tiemo Wölken, a German MEP who is co-negotiating the project on behalf of the Parliament.
Fellow German MEP Peter Liese described it as a scandal that 35,000 people die in the European Union every year because antibiotics are no longer effective.
In future, better justification would be required when a doctor wants to prescribe antibiotics.
Especially in hospitals, there are often bacteria circulating which are highly resistant to antibiotics. MEPs want to make the development of pioneering antibiotics more attractive.
The plan is based on a proposal from the European Commission and still needs to be finalized with the EU member states. Negotiations will not begin until after the European elections on June 9.
A majority of MEPs in Brussels on Wednesday also voted in favour of a proposal for a widespread ban on dental fillings containing mercury from 2025.
The aim is to protect health and the environment from the harmful effects of mercury. Exceptions are to be made if a dentist considers such a filling to be absolutely necessary, for example due to a patient's medical needs.
Inhaling mercury vapours can cause permanent damage to the brain, lungs, kidneys and immune system. In the past, the heavy metal was used in batteries, thermometers and fluorescent tubes, for example.
Despite less harmful alternatives, around 40 tons of mercury are still used for dental amalgam in the EU every year, according to the parliament.
Current regulations only prohibit mercury fillings for children under the age of 15 and for pregnant and breastfeeding women.