Why Europe's smaller states struggle to get the best medicines

euronews (in English)

Encouraging pharmaceutical companies to distribute their latest medicines to smaller countries at an affordable price isn't easy, as the executive chairperson of the Malta Medicines Authority explains.

Transcript

00:00 In this building, the Malta Medicines Authority works to protect and enhance public health

00:06 through the regulation of medicinal products and pharmaceutical activities.

00:10 In this interview, Executive Chairperson Professor Anthony Serachino-Englot talks about the challenges

00:16 small countries face ensuring proper access to medicines and possible solutions for the

00:21 future.

00:25 There is a tendency for the industry in certain areas to go for a smaller market at a high

00:32 price.

00:34 So you sell a medicine at a very high price to a lesser number of people rather than selling

00:40 the medicine to a larger number of people at a lower price.

00:44 Because that could be more attractive in an area where facilities, where transport, where

00:51 expenses are related to the amounts.

00:56 From an industrial, economical point of view, that could be more substantial sustainability

01:04 financially for the industry.

01:06 But you have to start thinking that innovative medicines should be made available, affordable

01:14 to all citizens in all countries.

01:17 And the way that it appears they are trying to achieve that through the new legislation

01:24 is by giving incentives to those medicines that are also at a reasonable, affordable

01:32 price.

01:33 It is clear now that the EU will put in these three pillars that we have seen for medicines

01:42 availability in Europe to be safe, effective and of good quality that we will be adding

01:49 another pillar which is essential and that is accessibility.

01:54 And therefore to put a drug on the European market it has not only to be safe, effective

02:00 and of good quality as a requirement for the marketing authorisation.

02:04 [Music]

02:09 [BLANK_AUDIO]

Category

Transcript

Recommended