The new EU pharmaceutical strategy [1] must prioritise workable policies for generic, biosimilar and value added medicines to deliver on patient access to medicines to rebuild strained health systems beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
Generic, biosimilar and value added medicines account for 70% of essential medicines prescribed in Europe, those that are needed every day to help patients manage diseases including cancer, auto-immune and respiratory conditions. Off-patent and repurposed medicines are a cornerstone of the COVID-19 response, facilitating patient treatment in hospital emergency units across the world.
The EU pharmaceutical strategy provides a unique opportunity to strengthen this strategic sector. The Commission Communication [2] is a first important step to:
Commenting on the launch of the EU Pharmaceutical strategy, Medicines for Europe President Christoph Stoller (Teva) said “The Pharmaceutical Strategy presented today by the European Commission embodies a key milestone for many patients across Europe and echoes Medicines for Europe’s ambition to secure medicines supply and access for the next decade. Moving forward, there are too many public health, social and economic interests at stake here to get this wrong. More than ever and as proven by the COVID19 lessons learned, we strongly believe that all concerned stakeholders need to work together – EU and national policy makers, regulators, payers, industry and all actors of the supply chain - if we are to effectively deliver on the Strategy’s ambition and ensure that patients receive the medicines they need when they need them, while keeping a strong, resilient and sustainable manufacturing base in Europe.”
Links:
[1] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_2173
[2] https://ec.europa.eu/health/sites/health/files/human-use/docs/pharmastrategy_com2020-761_en.pdf
[3] https://www.medicinesforeurope.com/