EFPIA celebrates 30 years of achievements

The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations' annual general meeting in Paris, France, has been the occasion for a celebration of the group's achievements over the past 30 years. Arthur Higgins, the EFPIA's president as well as chief executive of German drugmaker Bayer HealthCare, addressed the gathering and outlined both the past success and his vision of the future.

Mr Higgins said that the "EFPIA was created in 1978, the very same year artificial insulin was discovered. Over the past 30 years, the Federation's member companies and associations have significantly contributed to advances in science, innovation and patient well-being in Europe."

Among the figures cited to indicate the importance of the innovative drug manufacturers, the EFPIA's president noted that 15% of all private sector R&D in the European Union and 5.8% of manufactured exports are accounted for by the pharmaceutical industry. Out of 643,100 people employed by the EFPIA's member companies, 107,000 - about 17% - work in R&D.