Healthy Skepticism Library item: 6163

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Publication type: Journal Article

Kees J.
Pharmaceutical Forum: delivering better information, access, prices
e drug 2006 Sep 29;

Full text:

Pharmaceutical Forum: delivering better information, better access and
better prices
________________________________

Reference: IP/06/1282 Date: 29/09/2006

Brussels, 29th September

The newly established Pharmaceutical Forum is today expected to adopt
its first progress report setting out how to improve information on
medicines to patients, enhance value for money and access to medicines and
ensure quicker access to effective medicines through relative
effectiveness policies. The European Commission has set up the Pharmaceutical
Forum, co-chaired by Commission Vice-President Gunter Verheugen and
Commissioner Markos Kyprianou to find practical solutions to some of the key
structural and public health issues affecting the pharmaceuticals
industry. The Pharmaceutical Forum brings together Member States, the
pharmaceutical industry, public health and patient groups in a voluntary
process, brokered by the Commission, to achieve the benefits of Europe-wide
cooperation in areas which are partially governed by national law.

Commission Vice-President Gunter Verheugen, responsible for enterprise
and industry policy, said: ‘Europe is no longer the pharmacy of the
world. We need to look urgently at the structural issues affecting the
competitively of the industry and respond to these challenges. The purpose
of the Pharmaceutical Forum is to push forward to deliver concrete
results by June next year.’

Commissioner Markos Kyprianou, responsible for health and consumer
protection, said: ‘Patients in Europe do not have equal access to
information on medicines. Today we have agreed to set up concrete ways to help
ensure that all European patients can have access to information no
matter where they live or what language they speak.’

The progress report sets out a series of proposals for further action.

1. Information to patients
The progress report sets out conclusions on ways to improve the quality
of, and access to information, such as:

developing a model package of information for patients on diseases
(using diabetes as a first example);
considering areas for more harmonised EU wide action on information
on medicines; and
improving patient access to good quality health information..

2. Control of expenditure: Pricing/Reimbursement
Several factors have generated significant changes in the pricing and
reimbursement mechanisms of most Member States during the last years,
including rising expenditure on medicines, inequity of access to
medicines, lack of early access to innovative medicines. The progress report
seeks to identify, explore and exchange information and data on
alternative mechanisms. With the objective of finding a balance between
controlling expenditure, improving access to medicines and rewarding
innovation.

3. Relative effectiveness: assessing the effectiveness of medicines in
comparison with other treatment options

The progress report makes a series of recommendations on how to support
Member States applying relative effectiveness systems in order to allow
containment of pharmaceutical costs as well as a fair reward for
innovation. Relative effectiveness assessment systems are relatively new for
many Member States and rather complex. Nevertheless, the outcome of
relative effectiveness assessments is promising as they will help identify
the most valuable medicines, both in terms of clinical efficiency and
cost-effectiveness, and will help set a fair price for these medicines.

Background
The work of the Pharmaceutical Forum builds on that of the G10
Medicines group established in 2001¹. In preparation for today’s meeting,
three technical working groups were established: Improving information on
medicines to patients, finding a balance between rewarding innovation,
value for money and access to medicines in pricing & reimbursement
policies, and quicker access to effective medicines through relative
effectiveness policies. The next Pharmaceutical Forum is likely to be held in
June 2007.

The EU pharmaceutical sector is a very robust and innovative economic
sector, but it is declining in relative terms compared to its
competitors. It employs about 600,000 people in Europe of whom around 100,000 are
in research, makes a significant positive contribution to the Union’s
trade balance (â‚¬32 billion in 2004) and makes a substantial investment
in the European science base (21 billion in 2004).

More information
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/phabiocom/comp_pf_en.htm
________________________________

[1] http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/phabiocom/g10home.htm
It was a small high level group, with 11 representatives from Member
States, industry, patients and mutual health funds, established to advise
the Commission on ways to improve the competitiveness of the
European-based industry in line with public health objectives. It produced a
report in 2002 with a number of recommendations.

Kees de Joncheere
Regional Adviser Health Technology and Pharmaceuticals
WHO Regional office for Europe
8 Scherfigsvej, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
tel 45-39171432
fax 45-39171855
email cjo@euro.who.int
website http://www.euro.who.int/pharmaceuticals

Healthy Skepticism Library item: 6163

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