EC: Pharmaceutical industry should focus on working with member states

Europe's pharmaceutical industry should do more to convince member states of the industry's strengths, instead of trying to change the European Commission's regulatory policy, according to Paola Testori Coggi, director general of the Commission's health unit DG SANCO.

Addressing attendees at the European Business Summit 2014, she commented that the Commission has presented the industry with excellent regulation regarding clinical trials, biosimilars and personalised medicines but some of its proposals have been weakened by member states. Testori Coggi encouraged the pharmaceutical industry to insist that EU regulation is implemented across member states.

Industry representatives at the summit also called for an increased focus on implementation of regulation across Europe. According to Ron Cooper, member of the European Federal Pharmaceutical Industry Association's (EFPIA) Executive Committee, EU member states should adopt an integrated and sustainable approach to healthcare, so as to ensure that EU citizens have the opportunity to take advantage of the industry's growth potential.

The EFPIA and the European Generic medicines Association (EGA) presented several proposals for an integrated EU policy for the industry. They suggested that the EU should recognise medicines as essential for better patient outcomes and equity of access to healthcare. The industry also called for a more predictable business environment which would stimulate the EU's pharmaceutical businesses to invest in developing improved and more cost-effective treatments.