French govt, pharma in "candid" talks

The French government and pharmaceutical companies are currently engagedin "candid and open" discussions on issues relating to drug pricing and innovation, with the aim of fostering agreements between drugmakers and the national biotechnology industry, according to a Dow Jones Newswires report carried by the Wall Street Journal.

In talks held earlier this month with French Research Minister Roger-Gerard Schwartzenberg, Pfzer reportedly called for the establishment of a two-tier system for drug pricing, under which a premium would be charged for the most innovative new drugs, while the prices of older products would be allowed to fall.

The report quotes Herve Chneiweiss, chief counselor for life sciences at the Research Ministry, as noting that while the population's health needs are "primary" the issue of drug pricing "is not taboo," and the government recognizes the difficulties which large pharmaceutical companies face in financing new drug development. Mr Chneiweiss also commented that France's biotechnology industry is "embryonic," and that "the natural progression of a biotechnology industry is to work with big pharmaceutical companies."