Europe's MEPs vote overwhelmingly in favor of stricter information rules on prescription medicines

Patients must have better access to high-quality information on prescription medicines in the future, said Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voting on draft legislation yesterday. This means providing objective information on a drug's characteristics and the treated disease or condition, while preventing unsolicited information or disguised advertising.

The MEPs based their changes to the draft legislation on the fundamental principle that patients should have the right to obtain accurate and unbiased information on medicines. They clarify pharmaceutical companies’ obligations and possibilities to inform, as well as the role to be played by member states.

Parliament adopted two legislative reports at first reading: a regulation relating to European Union-level aspects (564 votes in favor, 41 against and 45 abstentions) and a directive on rules for EU member states to apply at national level (558 votes in favor, 42 against and 53 abstentions). These will now go for discussion in Council.