Brussels, 25/11/2015 (Agence Europe) - The development, access and availability of medicines in Europe should be improved. This appeal was made by the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) in a position published on Wednesday 25 November.
The organisation represents 41 national organisations in 31 countries and has highlighted three problems. Firstly, the organisation regrets that medicines consumers need most are not being developed. BEUC bases its criticism on an article asserting that the most important priorities in Europe's public-private partnership for developing medicine, Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI), focuses on less than half of the domains identified by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
BEUC also criticises the extremely high cost of certain new (or even old) medicines, such as those for hepatitis C or to treat cancer. According to the organisation, Spanish households now have to pay 58% more today for medicines overall than in 2010, while 39% of Portuguese people cannot pay for the medicines they need. Finally, BEUC notes that certain medicines are unavailable due to shortages. Therefore, two thirds of hospital pharmacies are experiencing shortages that affect their work on a daily or weekly basis.
The European Consumers Organisation concludes its position with a number of recommendations. With regard to the question of developing medicines, the European Commission and the pharmaceutical companies are called on to focus research funding on areas of public interest. It also points out that the “early access to new medicines” system (which allows for early authorisations for prescribing medicine to a specific subgroup of patients whose needs are not being met) should be an exception and not the rule. In this connection, a clear definition is required regarding “medical needs not being met”. BEUC argues that “patients using early access systems should receive the same protection as participants in clinical trials”.
On the question of access, BEUC calls for a European assessment of the added value of new and existing medicines. The consumer organisation asserts that many new medicines do not provide added value compared to treatments previously offered and increase risks to patients because they have just been tested on a small number of people. It believes new formulas should be developed on sharing information about the prices of medicines and calls for vigilance to be maintained with regard to anti-competitive practices by pharmaceutical companies.
Finally, with regard to resolving the problem of availability, BEUC argues for better follow-up and more transparency regarding the causes of the shortages and the solutions implemented. The organisation concludes “Coordinated European wide action is more than necessary to respond to the different approaches towards innovation, regulation, prices, refunds and the provision of medicines… It is urgent that research and health budgets focus on innovative products that have real therapeutic value”. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)