Pharma industry facing a lot of challenges, but there are opportunities, says Novo exec

The opportunities and challenges facing the pharmaceutical industry in Europe were the subject of a wide-ranging, exclusive interview with the Marketletter by Viggo Birch, managing director and vice president Europe, at Danish insulin giant Novo Nordisk.

Asked about his thoughts on the recent European Commission High-Level Pharmaceutical Forum's proposals on information for patients on diseases and treatments; comparing medicines for efficacy; and pricing with respect to rewarding innovation (Marketletter October 13), Mr Birch saw this as a positive move.

The more people are involved, the more likely they will get the best treatment, he said, noting that patient compliance is becoming a big problem. He noted that the pharmaceutical industry is very limited on what it can do in terms of patient information, and believes that it should be allowed more freedom to communicate.