The European Parliament adopted by 568 votes to 30, with 52 abstentions, a resolution on the EU options for improving access to medicines.
Parliament recalled that public health systems are crucial to guaranteeing universal access to health care, a fundamental right of European citizens. Health systems in the EU face challenges such as an ageing population, the increasing burden of chronic illnesses, the high cost of development of new technologies, high and rising pharmaceutical expenses, and the effects of the economic crisis on healthcare spending. These challenges prompt the need for European cooperation and new policy measures at both EU and national level.
Pharmaceutical market, competition and pricing: Parliament highlighted the importance of both public and private R&D efforts in discovering new treatments. However, it stressed that the high level of public funds used for R&D is not reflected in the pricing which impedes a fair public return on public investment.
Members called for national and EU-wide measures to guarantee the right of patients to universal, affordable, effective, safe and timely access to essential and innovative therapies, to guarantee the sustainability of EU public healthcare systems, and to ensure future investment in pharmaceutical innovation.
Deploring the litigation cases aiming to delay generic entry, Members pointed out that biosimilar medicines enable increased competition and that their market entry should not be delayed.
Members stressed the importance of assessing the real therapeutic, evidence-based added value of new medicines. The price of a medicine should cover the cost of the development and production of that medicine and should be in line with the therapeutic added value it brings to patients.
Main recommendations: Parliament called on the Commission and the Member States to:
The resolution also called for the:
Intellectual property: the Commission is called upon to analyse the overall impact of intellectual property on innovation on, and on patient access to, medicines, by means of a thorough and objective study, as requested by the Council in conclusions of 17 June 2016, and, in particular, to analyse in this study the impact of supplementary protection certificates (SPCs), data exclusivity and market exclusivity on the quality of innovation and competition.
Lastly, Members urged the Commission and the Member States to launch a high-level strategic dialogue with all the relevant stakeholders, together with representatives of the Parliament on current and future developments in the pharmaceutical system in the EU.