Brussels, 23/02/2016 (Agence Europe) - The Platform for People Affected by Hepatitis C is calling for a European plan to eradicate the disease. Some 20 members of the Platform gathered in the European Parliament on Monday 22 February to provide information on their petition (No. 58/2015). In short, the European Commission is content merely to hand the issue to the member states to which this matter is reserved.
President of the Platform Carmen Hinojar addressed journalists before the scheduled debate on the issue in the Parliament's petitions committee. She argued that the Spanish model should be followed and the strategy not restricted to the most serious cases. She called for more data, for more to be done to prevent the spread of the disease and for easier access to medicines.
In closer detail, the petition calls for a European plan against hepatitis C, “involving coordination by the Commission of the policies of the various member states on the procurement of hepatitis C medicines”. It also calls on the Commission to bring forward proposals and amendments to European law on intellectual property so as to encourage the introduction of cheaper generic versions of hepatitis C medicines and to set up an emergency fund to support the convalescence of hepatitis C patients. And lastly, it urges the Commission to put in place funding and research measures to help the early diagnosis of the disease.
In its response on 8 February, the Commission, in effect, returns the matter to the member states, indicating that EU powers here are limited. The EU is responsible for complementing action by the member states: for example, it provides technical assistance, through its agencies, to any states seeking to develop strategies, legally frames the transparency of the pricing of medicines and public procurement, and makes funding available to the member states through the Health and Horizon 2020 programmes. The Commission says that it is not empowered to provide direct funding of medical treatments or to set up funds for that purpose. Similarly, it can neither coordinate nor impose on the member states which medicines are required to combat specific illnesses.
With regard to the proposal calling on the European Commission to adopt standards of good practice in the member states on the treatment and eradication of hepatitis C, the Commission says that it does not have the power to draft clinical guidelines.
On the request to amend legislation on intellectual property rights to make access to generic hepatitis C medicines easier and quicker, the Commission points out that, for reasons of general interest, the legislations of some member states contain measures governing delivery of compulsory licences for patented medicines. To date, no desire has been expressed to harmonise this kind of compulsory licence across the EU, it says. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)