Progress and Challenges for the Pharmaceutical Forum Debated
Today representatives from the European Commission and the Pharmaceutical industry at the 4th TOPRA Annual Symposium discussed the progress of the Pharmaceutical Forum; its successes and the challenges which still lie ahead.
Christian Siebert, European Commissioner in DG Enterprise and Industry, Head of Unit F5: Competitiveness in the Pharmaceuticals Industry, gave an overview of the work of the Forum to date on the discussion and exploration of new medicines before they reach the regulatory stages. He announced incremental progress towards the twin goals of the EU: equal and quick access to medicines for all EU patients, and the promotion of innovation through investment in new medicines.
Siebert described the Forum’s work in exploring relative value and effectiveness through the sharing of best practice examples. He announced that the Forum will continue to take steps to improve the quality and type of data which is used and made publicly available.
In future, he said, the Forum needs to look further into budget control and access to medicines. He hoped the Forum would be able to make progress on the issue of pricing, by achieving a balance between “subsidiarity and solidarity”.
Other speakers however, were more sceptical about the progress of the Forum. David Haerry, from the European Aids Treatment Group, stated that from a patient perspective the Forum lacks transparency. He outlined an urgent need for more and better information regarding medicines and innovation. Transparency, he said, is essential for public debate on new line drugs.
Cecelia Potez, Director of Regulatory Intelligence at AstraZeneca, stated that the industry had been disappointed that the Forum has had too strong a focus on pricing. She hoped that in future the Forum would refocus on its core objectives to strengthen the competitiveness of the pharmaceutical industry in Europe and to raise awareness of the value and contribution to the health and the wealth of Europe, from innovative medicines.
Potez asserted that the Forum must now “move from discussion to action”. The fact that the European pharmaceuticals industry lags significantly behind that of the US is a grave concern. Potez called for greater urgency in the EU Commission and Member States in finding a pan-European solution.
The subsequent discussion session amongst delegates and panellists covered a range of topics raised by speakers, with delegates echoing the speakers’ discontent over pricing and transparency.
Symposium continues until Friday.
For more information, contact:
Jacob Coy // Cicero Consulting // +44 7900 392 531
