About: pharmaceuticals

Europe’s health sector worried about post-Brexit investment dearth

Fragmented, multilingual and over-regulated: Europe is currently not an attractive place for investors and things could get worse after Brexit, experts from the life sciences industry have warned.

Bayer loses €16 bln market value as concerns mount over further damages claims

Bayer shares registered yet another sharp decrease on Thursday (16 August), dropping as much as 6.5% in Frankfurt to hover near the 76 euros level as investors fear the German chemicals and pharmaceuticals giant may face numerous litigations in the US after its controversial merger with Monsanto. 

Pharma firms face multi-million Brexit bill, MPs warned

Pharmaceutical companies face a multi-million euro bill in regulatory costs regardless of whether the UK reaches a ‘soft’ or ‘hard’ Brexit deal with the European Union, industry leaders warned on Tuesday (19 December).

New Commission study fuels generic drugs industry ‘manufacturing dispute’

The European Commission launched on Thursday (12 October) a public consultation on supplementary protection certificates for pharmaceutical products and the so-called Bolar patent research exemption.

Patients: ‘Think carefully’ before questioning orphan drugs’ incentives

Organisations of patients with rare diseases have warned EU policymakers to “think carefully” before reviewing the incentives in the orphan drugs regulation, claiming that the pharma industry should not be discouraged from investing in new therapies.

Pharma innovation

Hit hard by austerity, the health systems of EU member states are under huge pressure. Combined with an aging population and the alarming burden of chronic illnesses, EU member states have targeted specific aspects of the incentives granted to the pharma industry in order to decrease drug prices.

Pharma boss: Targeting drugs won’t make healthcare systems more sustainable

“Salami-slicing” the cost of medicines, which represent almost one-fifth of health system budgets and are subject to rigorous value assessments, won’t make healthcare systems more sustainable in the future, Nathalie Moll told EURACTIV.com in an interview.

Anti-monopolies economist: ‘Innovation breeds inequality’

Inequality is an inevitable side effect of innovation and many monopolies could be broken by simply eliminating patents, insists Italian economist Michele Boldrin. EURACTIV’s partner El País – Planeta Futuro reports.

Commission silent over Hungary’s pharmacy ownership law

EXCLUSIVE / An EU infringement procedure launched against Hungary about a law that regulates pharmacies has been unjustifiably stalled for more than two years, raising concerns among foreign investors.

Greek pharma boss: Patients are punished when innovation is penalised

Patients are “punished” due to a lack of innovation-driven structural reforms in a crisis-hit public health system, the head of the Greek pharma industry said in an interview with Euractiv Greece.

EU remains idle on curbing imports of ‘blood farm’ hormones

The European Commission has remained silent over a cruel but perfectly legal practice, common in South America, of rearing pregnant horses for their blood in order to harvest a hormone that is used in veterinary products imported to Europe. EURACTIV Germany reports.

OECD criticises ‘ineffective spending’ in healthcare

Health spending in countries that belong to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is "at best ineffective and at worst wasteful", a new report has found.

Andriukaitis: Health Technology Assessment will make EU healthcare ‘sustainable’

EXCLUSIVE / National healthcare systems should embrace the digital era and use Health Technology Assessment (HTA) to become truly sustainable and cost-effective, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis told EURACTIV.com in an interview.

Parliament wants harmonised criteria for drug pricing and reimbursement

The European Parliament will seek an increased EU role in regulating the pharmaceutical market and controlling rising drug prices, according to a draft report seen by EURACTIV.com.

Pharma expert: new ‘value added medicines’ offer cheaper, customised treatment

A new breed of drugs, called “value added medicines”, could help patients improve their everyday life while in treatment, without increasing healthcare budgets, Christoph Stoller said in an interview with EURACTIV.com

Pharma pollution is overlooked cause of antimicrobial resistance

Unused pharmaceuticals, which end up in the environment, such as in groundwater, pose a major threat to public health and the environment, by leading to the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in humans.

Germans spend more on medicine than most of Europe

Expenditure on medicinal drugs in Germany is higher than in most other European countries, according to the OECD. EURACTIV Germany reports.

EU needs compulsory transparency register to rein in Big Pharma lobbying

Big Pharma is out-gunning its civil society and non-profit rivals in terms of lobbying, access, and influence at the EU institutions, write David Lundy and Rachel Tansey.

Big pharma complains about French law pushing cheap eye drug

Europe's pharmaceuticals industry said on Tuesday (1 September) it had filed a complaint with the European Commission against a French law promoting the use of Roche's cancer drug Avastin as an alternative to more expensive eye treatments.

Hackers develop innovative treatments for chronic illnesses

Medical companies are turning to hackers to develop the next generation of electronic health applications to treat chronic illnesses. EURACTIV France reports.

Biopharmaceuticals booming in Germany despite GMO controversy

Modern pharmaceuticals are no longer exclusively produced in a chemicals laboratory, but are often developed using live cells. In Germany, such biopharmaceuticals are being sold and prescribed at an ever increasing rate – despite widespread scepticism over GMOs in Germany. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Germany ranked among Europe’s biggest pharma spenders

A recent European comparison shows Germany’s expenditures on pharmaceuticals are above average. No other country offers medications for treating illnesses “as quickly and comprehensively” as the Federal Republic. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Paracetamol may increase risk of cardiovascular disease

Paracetamol tablets are the world’s most commonly used painkillers. According to a recent study published in the British journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, prolonged use of the drug can have very harmful side effects. EURACTIV France reports.