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Breaking the deadlock to develop new antibiotics to fight antimicrobial resistance

Antimicrobial resistance is not getting the attention it deserves. As many as 35,000 people are now dying every year in Europe because the bacteria...

Pharmaceuticals
Letta report identifies untapped potential of Single Market for consumers

The report published today by Enrico Letta from the Jacques Delors Institute is a welcome effort to remove barriers that prevent the Single Market...

Enforcement
EU Parliament introduces improvements to pharma package without going full mile for consumers

The EU Parliament has proposed some positive changes to the pharma package, the EU’s largest reform of pharmaceutical legislation in twenty years, but...

Pharmaceuticals
European Health Data Space a compromise between healthcare needs and protecting data

The European Health Data Space agreed today by the EU institutions is a step forward to improve healthcare. However, the institutions should have...

Digital health
Keys to consumer health data should lie more with consumers

EU countries have today agreed they would prefer their governments to take many of the important decisions surrounding access to consumers’ health...

Digital health
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Access to medicines
Clinical trials
Digital health
Medical devices
Pharmaceuticals
checklist compulsory licensing
The EU needs to be able to issue compulsory licenses for some medicines during a crisis : BEUC recommendations for the trilogue negotiations
- PDF Document - 420.61 KB

Pharmaceuticals
Access to medicines
Available in English
During a health crisis, having timely access to effective medicines can be a matter of life or death. When a company does not have enough production capacity, or because it charges unaffordable prices for a patented vaccine or treatment, issuing an EU-wide compulsory license for that medicine can allow other companies to manufacture it. The biggest advantage this would procure is to give EU citizens greater access to essential medicines or medical devices. To ensure swift and effective responses during a health crisis, the process for granting a compulsory license cannot be overcomplicated or contain bottlenecks.
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Time to lift the blindfold on medicine prices

Over the past years, the exorbitant prices of new medicines have been making headlines across Europe. Before a new medicine hits a national market, there are usually price negotiations between the drug manufacturer and the national authority. However, there is currently an asymmetry of information in these talks to the disadvantage of national authorities, who must largely negotiate in the dark.

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As consumers are faced with a growing amount of information from different sources, we advocate for high quality and non-promotional information about health products.

The ageing of the population, rising healthcare costs and the economic crisis are challenging the sustainability of healthcare systems and consumers’ access to treatments.

Health scandals such as the weight-loss drug Mediator and the faulty PIP breast implants keep undermining consumers’ confidence in the safety of available health products and their oversight by the competent authorities.

  • Ensure consumers have access to high quality healthcare in all EU Member States
  • Guarantee consumers benefit from safe and innovative treatments
  • Allow consumers to make informed choices regarding their health