EU Commissioner calls for a 'pharmaceutical industry that meets the needs of society'

On the occasion of the Belgian Presidency’s ministerial conference on innovation and solidarity in the field of pharmaceuticals, Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, Antonio Tajani, announced the launch of a process on corporate responsibility in the pharmaceutical industry.

The process will be split into three distinct platforms: (1) ethics and transparency; (2) access to medicines in Africa; and (3) access to medicines in Europe. It will examine the major challenges of access to medicines in Europe and Africa in the light of the issues of price and reimbursement. For the first time on a European level, issues of ethics and transparency in the sector will also be addressed. The aim is to promote a dynamic exchange between the national authorities, the industry and other public sector and civil society stakeholders.

The objectives of the three platforms are as follows: