Industry

EFPIA calls for a 'European solution'

Will mass media be used to supply prescription medicines information in Europe?

JOHN FOXX/GETTY IMAGES

Action has been taken following a recent report that revealed EU citizens had unequal access to health and medicines information. The European Commission (EC) is now planning to reform the rules regarding information provision to patients.

However, some of the propositions, such as allowing 'push' communication through television, radio and print mass media for prescription medicines, are being questioned by the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). "We have repeatedly stated that the industry is not advocating direct-to-consumer advertising as a suitable model for Europe, and we are not of the opinion that such mass media would be an appropriate means for the industry to communicate information on specific prescription medicines to European citizens," says Arthur Higgins, President of EFPIA and CEO of Bayer HealthCare AG.

EFPIA proposes that information provided unsolicited to the public should be limited to general health information on diseases (e.g., covering awareness and prevention) and should not mention specific medicines. The agency also believes that when information is 'pulled' by the patient, companies should provide high-quality medicines information on places such as internet sites in response to patient enquiries, and in the context of compliance programmes. Any advice should be based on authorized information and should comply with clearly defined standards.

Regarding the EC's ideas about establishing a governance system for the monitoring of information provided by the industry, EFPIA is concerned that the proposed model could lead to different interpretations and implementations in national laws and fail to adequately address the current European shortcomings. EFPIA has proposed an alternative system based on a European-wide 'health information' code of conduct.

"A European solution to an existing European challenge remains outstanding. Many Europeans are still disadvantaged in accessing the health information they need," says Alessandro Banchi, who is responsible for information to patients within the EFPIA board, and CEO of Boehringer Ingelheim (Germany). "We believe that the industry has a legitimate role and responsibility to provide nonpromotional information on its medicines to patients."

http://www.efpia.eu/

R&D

Cash boost to solve western woes

Millions of euros in funding are being offered to Dutch research institutes to tackle some of the greatest threats to western health: cancer, neurodegenerative and cardiovascular disease. Nine projects have already been selected by the Dutch Centre for Translational Molecular Medicine (CTMM) to receive funding from the Dutch government, industry and academia that amounts to approximately €150 million. A second call for project proposals will be organized later this year.

"These R&D projects are highly innovative and tackle some of the biggest challenges in modern medicine, including finding better ways to diagnose and treat diseases earlier, such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer's," says Rob Reneman, Chairman of the CTMM International Scientific Advisory Board. "With the joint expertise of the best Dutch scientists and R&D groups, we can expect new, important scientific breakthroughs."

The projects chosen focus on molecular medicine that aims to understand how diseases develop at the molecular and cellular level. Many of the projects are attempting to identify 'biomarkers' that usually appear long before a patient develops symptoms, which could lead to much earlier diagnosis and treatment. As treating diseases in their early stages generally require less aggressive methods, it could open the path for fewer side-effects, better patient outcomes and more effective use of healthcare resources.

Hans Hoogervorst, former Dutch Health Minister and current Chairman of the CTMM supervisory board says: "The CTMM has proven to be a highly effective mechanism for establishing partnerships between clinicians, academia and industry to address major healthcare issues for people in The Netherlands and the wider world."

http://www.ctmm.nl/