Unwrapping the pharmaceutical package

The European Commission presented the eagerly-awaited pharmaceutical package on Wednesday (26 April) designed to ensure that all EU patients have timely and equitable access to safe and effective medicines while at the same time boosting the attractiveness of the EU pharmaceutical industry.

The proposal was summarised as pursuing two sets of objectives: the three As – making medicines more available, accessible, and affordable – and the three Cs – maintaining the competitiveness of the EU pharma industry, ensuring medicines compliance with the Green Deal, and combatting antimicrobial resilience.

Replacing a current 20-year-old pharmaceutical legislation is so significant that the health chief Stella Kyriakides even used Irish singer Bono’s quote when presenting it. “I don’t usually quote rock stars,” Kyriakides said, “but I’m going to do to do this on this occasion.”

The quote is: “Where you live should not determine whether you live or whether you die.”

“He touched on what I felt really resounded strongly for today’s proposal,” Kyriakides told reporters on Wednesday afternoon. 

This super package includes not only pharmaceutical legislation but also orphan drugs and paediatric medicines legislation and, last but not least, a Council Recommendation to step up the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

EURACTIV, in a set of articles, is looking at different parts of the proposal to see how Commission plans to make medicines more available, accessible and affordable while supporting innovation and boosting the competitiveness and attractiveness of the EU pharmaceutical industry.