The European Union (EU) is making significant moves to enhance health security and economic resilience in the Caribbean by investing €8.9 million in local pharmaceutical production. This initiative will improve regional health manufacturing capacity through regulatory cooperation, research partnerships, and technology transfers, ensuring long-term health sustainability.
The plan focuses on two key areas to enhance medicine quality and availability while boosting the local economy:
Joint Declaration on Pharmaceutical Regulatory Services
A joint declaration was signed by Guyana, Barbados, and Lithuania to elevate Caribbean drug regulators to World Health Organization (WHO) Level 3 maturity, under the EUs PharmaNext programme. This agreement, signed during the CARICOM Summit with leaders from Guyana, Barbados, Lithuania, and the European Commission, aims to safely and efficiently regulate and produce medicines, benefiting millions in the region.
BioMed X Partnership in Barbados
The Barbados government and BioMed X Institute agreed to an applied research project on cardiometabolic diseases in African descent populations. Launched on 19 February 2025, this collaboration seeks to address treatment diversity gaps using artificial intelligence, ensuring therapies are safe and effective for all populations.
These initiatives are part of the EU-Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) partnership focused on manufacturing vaccines, medicines, and health technologies while strengthening health systems across the region.