pharma.be signs agreement with Belgian public health minister on patient access and R&D

The Belgian representative body for the pharma industry, pharma.be, has signed an agreement with the Minister for Public Health, Maggie De Block, focusing on concrete measures to benefit Belgian patients.

This agreement is in line with many of the wishes expressed by pharma.be in its Memorandum for the Attention of the Government in spring 2014. It comprises four major points: greater accessibility of innovative medicines, clear budgetary agreements up to 2019, a series of measures aiming to continue to support Belgian pharma R&D, and greater transparency of interactions between industry and healthcare providers.

Catherine Rutten, chief executive of pharma.be, said: “We are happy to have signed this unique, historic and ambitious agreement today with the Minister for Public Health today. Thanks to this agreement, the most innovative drugs will be more quickly accessible to patients, a framework will be created in financial and policy terms, and the country’s leading position in pharma research and development will be strengthened. The agreement will allow companies to operate up until 2019 in a predictable environment and within a clear framework. We are convinced that this pact will be a lever to reinforce the leading position of Belgium in the pharma industry.”