Policy Contradictions And Industry Competiveness

In an increasingly international market, pharmaceutical companies will not choose to invest in regions where the conditions are unattractive, said outgoing European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries Association president Kurt Briner (also chief executive of Sanofi Pharma in France). He was speaking at an EFPIA conference in Evian, France, last week, where he warned that the European industry's strengths are at risk because of political inaction.

"It makes almost no difference whether an industrialist runs his group from Washington or Paris," he pointed out. And despite repeated warnings from the industry about the need for a European environment conducive to investment and the development of competitiveness in the drug industry, "little has been done to remedy matters," he warned.

Mr Briner stressed to delegates that not enough is being done to remove "contradictions" in European Union policy on the drug industry, and the victim would be industry competitiveness, and ultimately the patient depending on European drug industry innovation for new medicines.