Patient access and industry competitiveness at stake in EU Transparency Directive review, says EFPIA

With the review of the European Union’s Transparency Directive (Directive 89/105/EEC) gaining momentum, improving the competitive environment for pharmaceuticals and strengthening access to innovation for patients must remain core objectives in the review’s next steps, says the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), which represents the research-based drug industry.

Adopted more than 20 years ago, the Directive has made an important contribution to improving EU member states’ provisions controlling pharmaceutical expenditure towards better objectivity and transparency of processes. The Directive also sets a mandatory timeline for pricing and reimbursement decisions which has been a key element in considerably improving waiting times for patients for reimbursed treatments across Europe. Its review by the European Commission comes at a time when increasing budgetary concerns by member states, further heightened by the financial crisis, weigh down heavily on health care systems, and pharmaceutical budgets in particular, the EFPIA warns.

Cost-control and price levels “must not dominate the review”