Publication date: January 22, 2026
Prepared by Kamil Żbik, KIELTYKA GLADKOWSKI KG LEGAL
One of the characteristics of diseases and conditions is that different illnesses often affect people to completely different degrees and with completely different frequencies. With the advancement of modern medicine, organizations have begun to take a more serious look at the problem of rare diseases. However, the diagnosis and treatment of such diseases are still highly problematic. One of the problems associated with this is the low revenue from such drugs. Due to the fact that some diseases are very rare, the cost of the process of developing and introducing them to the market is disproportionate to the expected sales of such drugs. This happens because of a very narrow group of people affected by such diseases. Drugs for these rare diseases are called orphan drugs or orphan medicinal products.
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Publication date: January 21, 2026
Every drug introduced to the EU market must obtain a permit from the competent authority. In Poland, this is the Office for Registration of Medicinal Products, Medical Devices and Biocidal Products. EU regulations included in Directive 2001/83/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 November 2001 on the Community code relating to medicinal products for human use, implemented into Polish law by the Act of 6 September 2001 – Pharmaceutical Law provide for several procedures enabling drug registration, one of which is the so-called well-established medicine procedure (WEU). This is a special procedure for obtaining marketing authorization for medicines containing active substances with well-established medical use, i.e., medicinal substances known and systematically used in the EU for at least 10 years. The most important difference with this procedure is that there is no need to submit new clinical and pre-clinical studies, and the application can be based on available scientific studies that confirm the effectiveness and safety of the substance.
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Publication date: January 20, 2026
Analysis of Commission Regulation (EU) No 2023/2055
EU Commission Regulation 2023/2055 expands Annex XVII of Regulation (EC) 1907/2006 (REACH) by adding entry 78. Annex XVII consists of a list of organic substances to varying degrees. Regulation 2023/2055 was introduced to restrict the use of synthetic polymer microparticles, often referred to as microplastics. However, it should be noted that the definition in the Regulation is broader than the commonly understood definition of microplastics. This initiative aims to reduce their release into the environment, as it is estimated that currently 42,000 tons of intentionally added microplastics enter the environment each year. The Regulation entered into force in 2023, but many provisions will not enter into force until the coming years.
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Publication date: January 16, 2026
Pharmaceutical production is one of the most regulated activities in Poland, Europe, and globally. The reason seems obvious: creating drugs can cause numerous complications, health problems, and in extreme cases, even death, depending on the individual patient’s health contraindications. Due to the above-mentioned reasons, the process of creating a new drug is often very expensive and lengthy, and involves a large number of professionals and scientists specializing in this field. In an era of dynamic digitalization, the need to develop specific operational rules for drug production and principles for using AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ML (Machine Learning) models is increasingly emphasized. Manufacturers are often considering implementing AI systems to support pharmaceutical production processes.
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Publication date: January 09, 2026
Much of the EU’s pharmaceutical legislation was adopted over 20 years ago. It is clear that much progress has been made in this area since then. Furthermore, due to the nature of European Union legislation, these regulations are fragmented into numerous smaller regulations and directives. To address both of the aforementioned issues, in 2023, the European Commission presented a draft of new legislation in this area. This draft was called the Pharmaceutical Package. After publishing the draft regulation and directive, the European Parliament adopted the draft with amendments at first reading in 2024. Since then, negotiations have been ongoing with the Council of the EU on the final shape of the regulations. However, on December 16, 2025, the Council published the outcome of the negotiations, announcing that both legislative bodies had reached a preliminary agreement on the final shape of the regulations.[1] Now, the draft will be put to a vote by the EU Council, where, probably after introducing the agreed amendments, it will be sent back to the Parliament, which will have to accept the amendments.
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