"Time to move from debate to action," EFPIA chief tells EU pharmaceutical forum

In an address to the second High Level Pharmaceutical Forum in Brussels, Belgium, Arthur Higgins, president of the European Pharmaceutical Industry Association and chief executive of Bayer HealthCare AG, said that clear-cut decisions and concrete action must be taken if the European Union is to make a comeback as the world leader in pharmaceutical innovation.

"The Forum has not met our expectations to date, as it hasn't addressed its core objective, but has instead become another discussion platform on the cost of medicines, rather than their value and contribution to the health and wealth of Europe," the EFPIA president commented. He added: "my plea is that we focus on concrete deliverables that will genuinely move the agenda forward - both at Community and member-state level - for the benefit of patients, health care systems, and Europe's competitiveness." Mr Higgins also outlined three priority areas: pricing and reimbursement; relative effectiveness; and information to patients.

Pricing and reimbursement guidance needed