I am very pleased to present the digital edition of December’s Pharmaceutical Market Europe.
Is a European consensus on HTA possible?
When I got my first job reporting on the pharma industry way back in 1999, the biggest controversy in pharma that year was the launch of NICE, England’s health technology assessment (HTA) body.
The industry was up in arms about its creation – with some warning it would start a slippery slope towards a ‘Euro NICE’ where market access would be restricted and denied across the whole EU.
Fast forward nearly 20 years, and things have changed: European pharma’s EFPIA is backing plans for legislation to bring about HTA harmonisation across the EU.
There’s a long way to go, but pharma should indeed be on board with the plans, which could unlock Europe’s potential: cutting red tape and duplication at a national level, and speeding patient access to new medicines.
There’s no doubt that the changes could give healthcare systems more bargaining power – but the gains in faster decision-making and access could be good news for all.
Read more about these developments, including our exclusive interviews with the Beneluxa initiative and Biogen on p18-22.
Thanks for reading in 2018 – from everyone here at Pharmaceutical Market Europe, we wish you a very Happy Christmas and a healthy and prosperous 2019.
Andrew McConaghie
Group Editor, PME
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