The European Parliament would like to promote the development of medicines for paediatric use. In a non-legislative resolution adopted on 15 December, it called on the Commission to use its forthcoming report on the 2006 regulation to rectify the shortfalls, including those involving the paediatric investigation plans (PIP).
Françoise Grossetête (EPP, France) MEP stated that, “6,000 children die from cancer every year in Europe. Research in paediatrics, particularly oncology, is still very rare… this situation is no longer tenable and we are calling on the European Commission to improve current legislation”. The MEP was speaking in view of the forthcoming progress report due to be published on 26 January 2017, at the latest. She co-signed the resolution with her colleagues Giovanni La Via, Elena Gentile, Bolesław G. Piecha, Frédérique Ries, Stefan Eck and Joëlle Mélin on behalf of the environment, public health and food safety committees.
MEPs support the following changes: a) development plans for medicines for paediatric use should be based on the action mechanism and not only on the type of disease, b) the model to be developed should establish priorities with regard to diseases and medicines and take into account paediatric medical needs that have not been met, c) paediatric investigation plans (PIP) that accompany requests for marketing authorisation must be implemented earlier and be more realistic (so far, only 12% of authorised PIPs have been fully carried out), d) incentives must be introduced in an effort to better stimulate research and improve responses to the needs of the paediatric population, whilst ensuring that an assessment of research and development costs is carried out whilst guaranteeing complete transparency in the results of the clinical trials. The report also calls on the Commission to ensure sustained funding for paediatric research within the Horizon 2020 programme. The report can be consulted at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do? type=MOTION&reference=B8-2016-1340&language=EN.(Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)