The European pharma industry has taken to social media for part of its campaigning efforts for an integrated life sciences strategy for the EU.
With 10 weeks until the European Parliament elections, the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) has launched its #HealthyEU Health and Grow campaign.
Placing better health at the heart of Europe’s economic and social prosperity, the campaign seeks a commitment by new policy makers to partner with the pharmaceutical industry to tackle health inequalities, said EFPIA in a statement.
Key to this, said the organisation, is the creation of fair and sustainable funding for healthcare, and the right environment to nurture research and development (R&D) to allow new discoveries in Europe to flourish.
“The mission of our industry is to improve health. We have seen a significant increase in quality of life and life expectancy over the last 60 years but unless we act together, we will lose many of the advances we have seen”, said EFPIA president, and Sanofi CEO, Chris Viehbacher.
In the countdown to the elections, the #HealthyEU Health and Growth campaign will outline the opportunities and threats faced by patients and the healthcare sector, helping inform healthcare debates in the run up to and during the 8th European Parliamentary term.
The campaign will highlight, and seek solutions to, three key failings in health and growth:
• Major inequalities in life expectancy across Europe
• Poor access and predictability of funding for sustainable healthcare
• Europe’s continuing loss of competitiveness in the fight for R&D investments.
#HealthyEU Health and Growth will include a series of online blogs and ongoing social media engagement aimed at building a case for a more ambitious and integrated life sciences strategy in the EU, and setting out clear priorities for policy-makers and those working in the healthcare sector.