Category: Press releases

The need for a critical review of the intellectual property system and incentives for medical innovation (June 2016)

Brussels, 2 June 2016 25 Civil Society organisations, including the Medicines in Europe Forum and the International Society of Drug Bulletins, call on Member States to resist pressure from the pharmaceutical industry to eliminate critical elements of proposed European Union (EU) Council Conclusions that would improve the balance between innovation and patients' access to affordable medicines.

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Member States ought to support the Dutch EU Presidency’s vision on access to affordable medicines (April 2016)

Amsterdam, 18 April 2016 20 civil society organisations including the Medicines in Europe Forum and ISDB announced their strong support for the Dutch European Union (EU) Presidency's critique of the current over-protection and misuse of intellectual property and related rights for pharmaceuticals. They also expressed support for efforts to better balance rewards for innovation against concerns over the affordability of medicines.

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Trilogue Meetings: increase transparency to level the playing field (March 2016)

31 March 2016 Trilogues are meetings held between representatives of the European Parliament, Council and European Commission to discuss policy and legislative proposals. In a joint submission to a public consultation by the European Ombudsman, HAI, ISDB, the Medicines in Europe Forum and the Nordic Cochrane Centre recommend the establishment of a register of Trilogue documents, in order to level the playing field in favour of the public interest.

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Why You Should Be Concerned About TTIP and Access to Medicines (February 2016)

18 February 2016 Joint Position Statement by HAI, The Commons Network and Public Citizen. Summary Both the European Union (EU) and the United States (US) are confronted with increasingly high medicine prices. European Member States are facing a looming access to medicines crisis as they struggle to afford new, patented, high-priced medicines. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership Agreement (TTIP), now under negotiation, could hamper needed changes towards affordability, needs-driven innovation and alternative incentive structures.

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