Timely access to innovative medicines, defense of intellectual property, integrated plans to combat chronic non-communicable diseases, support for the 'resilient' supply of medicines.
These are the priorities that the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly has indicated in a 'Manifesto for Europe' presented in view of the election of the new European Parliament.
The occasion was the event “Europe in health.
Challenges and opportunities for the future" held in Rome at Spazio Europa, headquarters of the Italian representation of the Parliament and the European Commission, in the same building where the new Lilly institutional offices were inaugurated.
Between 6 and 9 June 2024, 400 million European citizens will be called to the polls to elect the new European Parliament.
For health, it is a decisive stage: after the challenges posed by the pandemic, Europe needs to increase its ability to attract investments in research, development and production in the pharmaceutical sector.
“It is essential to welcome innovation through a single strategy that combines industrial policy for growth and recognizes the value of therapies for the European economy and, above all, for its citizens,” commented Ilya Yuffa, president of Lilly International.
“To achieve this goal we call for pragmatic policies and solutions that facilitate timely access to innovative medicines for patients across Europe, improving clinical outcomes and ensuring the sustainability of the healthcare system, while protecting intellectual property.
We must make Europe a globally competitive hub for biopharmaceutical research, development and manufacturing,” added Yuffa.
In the background, the next events that the EU will have to deal with in healthcare matters: the pharmaceutical strategy for Europe, a reform adopted in 2020 by the European Commission and today under consideration by the European Parliament and Council;
the Regulation to establish the European health data space presented by the Commission in 2022;
the regulation of Health Technology Assessment and, finally, the fight against health inequalities, with particular attention to the European plan to fight cancer and the "Healthier Together" initiative, launched by the European Commission to support EU countries to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases.