Dutch EUC Presidency priorities in the field of pharmaceuticals

The Dutch Presidency of the European Union Council appears to be keeping its cards close to its chest as far as pharmaceuticals and public health is concerned. So far, they seem to have been purposefully ambiguous about their intentions and have not put forward any concrete proposals on the issues they highlight as priorities, namely anti-microbial resistance (AMR), pharmaceuticals, food product improvement, eHealth & innovation, dementia and medical devices.

They have not been forthcoming about the Council conclusions at the end of their Presidency either, notes the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) in a website posting.

On January 13, the Dutch attaché informed his colleagues at the Working Party on Public Health that in the field of pharmaceuticals, the Presidency will focus on “redefining checks-and-balances in the European pharmaceutical system” and examine “current & future challenges for pharmaceutical policy in Europe.” He stopped short of offering further insight and referred to the expert meeting on pharmaceuticals, market access, HTA bodies and payers scheduled to take place on March 1-2 in Amsterdam. He added that the March meeting will determine the next steps