A common statement from Health Civil Society on the EU regulation of pharmaceuticals:
The patients, healthcare users, and public health organisations we represent are extremely concerned about the progress of negotiations in the European Parliament on the pharmaceutical package, particularly with regard to the the duration of regulatory data protection periods for pharmaceutical products in Article 81 of the new pharma Directive.
Our position is clear: we want ALL patients to have access to the medicines they need, and for these medicines to be safe and effective.
All proposals to extend the maximum duration of data protection, including transferable exclusivity vouchers for new antibiotics, run counter to this objective. By extending the duration of the legal monopoly enjoyed by pharmaceutical companies, they would contribute to further increase the financial burden of pharmaceutical products on healthcare budgets and to restrict patient access to care, when the ever-increasing prices of new medicines already put them out of reach in many EU countries.
Preserving the sustainability of our public healthcare systems, whose difficult financial situation is already a source of deep concern, also means preserving the universality of access and the quality of patient care, both in the community and in hospitals.
We therefore hope and trust that you, Members of the European Parliament, will put the public health and the interests of patients, healthcare users and all your fellow citizens before the interests of industry.
More resources:
