European patients need fair medicines prices

04.12.2019

The press regularly announces the discovery of a new drug or the purchase of promising small biotech companies for a substantial amount of money. But are the astronomical amounts that come along with these drugs such good news for patients and European health systems?

On 4 December in the morning in the European Parliament, the International Association of Mutual Benefit Societies (AIM) organised an event on « Fair prices for pharmaceuticals – Why and How ? ». The event gathered around 50 participants coming from healthcare organisations from across Europe, as well as the European institutions to discuss the challenges of the current pharmaceuticals pricing model and potential solutions. The event culminated in the presentation of AIM’s proposal for fair and transparent prices for pharmaceuticals. AIM called in the event for the European institutions to take action. It invited the European Commission to set up a high level group on fair pricing of medicines. AIM also called for a strategic alliance of all stakeholders to structure civil society’s expectations and to speak with one voice with regard to fair pricing of medicines. AIM invites all stakeholder to come together to collaborate on the ambitions outlined in the paper and to undertake the successive steps to make them reality.

AIM’s proposal is available here.

An accompanying note is available here.

The presentations from the event are available below:

Anne-Hendrickx_AIMs-proposal-for-fair-and-transparent-drug-prices

Brian Godman_Access to Pharmaceuticals the EU Picture

Uyl de Groot_Access and prices across the EU-Affordability and sustainability of innovative medicines

Anna Prokupkova_The societal perspective – Tackling challenges in access to innovative cancer medicines