Europe’s innovative and generics drugmakers have come together to urge the continent’s lawmakers to adopt an integrated life sciences strategy.
Ahead of the adoption of the European Commission’s 2015 work programme, the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations and the European Generic medicines Association have reminded new president Jean-Claude Juncker about their call “for an industrial policy for the globalisation era, and the value it places in the pharmaceutical sector”. The two associations have jointly submitted a document, called Europe 2020 Strategy, which highlights “key proposals on how to successfully integrate the pharmaceutical sector for an industrial policy that will boost European health and wealth alike”.
EFPIA and EGA claim the European pharmaceutical sector can compete globally but needs the EU to adopt “efficient regulatory measures through open and transparent input from healthcare stakeholders”. They also want the Commission to promote “stable and predictable pharmaceutical markets that support investment in innovation and that stimulate healthy and sustainable generic and biosimilar medicines competition”.
They also call on Mr Juncker to help make Europe an attractive location for investment in R&D and manufacturing, and ask for co-operation with the industry “to address new health risks and expand its manufacturing capabilities to securely provide for its own medicine needs”.
Richard Bergström, EFPIA director-general, noted that the Competitiveness Council recently called on the Commission “to pursue sectorial initiatives, notably for high growth potential sectors. The pharmaceutical industry is one such sector and this innovative industry, if integrated correctly in European value chains, holds great potential to continue to enhance EU competitiveness.”
His counterpart at EGA, Adrian van den Hoven, said the sector is “a partner for better health and for growth and jobs in Europe. We need a decisive pharmaceutical industrial strategy to boost our manufacturing capacities to serve Europe”.
