Measures to encourage drug companies to respond better to public health needs

29/09/2015 Session

PACE has spelled out a series of measures to encourage the pharmaceutical industry to respond more effectively to public health needs, urging stricter drug approval policies, full transparency over the real costs of drug development and, where necessary, mandatory licensing of drugs.

Approving a resolution based on a report by Liliane Maury-Pasquier (Switzerland, SOC), the Assembly also called for steps to reduce conflicts of interest in the health sector.

“In recent years, in spite of the increase in the number of new medicines placed on the market, there have been very few that present a real therapeutic benefit, satisfying real health needs,” the parliamentarians pointed out.

Among other things, PACE proposed:

• mandatory publishing of the results of all clinical tests on new medicines
• excluding those with a conflict of interest from sensitive decision-making
• measures to reduce the delay in marketing generic medicines
• fining drug companies a percentage of their turnover for any illegality
• alternatives to the current patent-based model for developing drugs

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