MoCA report a welcome stepping stone, but access to orphan medicines remains unfinished business, say trade groups

The three leading pharma/biotech trade bodies, EuropaBio, the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) and European Biopharmaceutical Enterprises (EBE) have welcomed the final report of the Working Group on Mechanism of Coordinated Access to Orphan Medicinal Products (MoCA-OMPs) which was endorsed by the Steering Group of the Process on Corporate Responsibility in the field of Pharmaceuticals, and published on 6 May 2013 by the European Commission.

The Process was launched by Commission Vice President Tajani in 2010 with the aim of bringing together European Union member states, countries of the European Economic Area and relevant stakeholders – including patients and industry – to evaluate a coordinated approach towards Orphan Medicinal Products (OMPs) and to develop a collaborative mechanism to increase access to medicine for patients suffering rare diseases across the EU, irrespective of nationality, economic or social status.

Despite an excellent collaborative report produced by the stakeholders involved under the co-chairmanship of the Belgian government and DG Enterprise, it is not yet clear how the report will have impact in practical terms to address the barriers to access that exist for orphan medicines, the groups note in a joint statement.