Pharmaceuticals Policy in the EU

Latest business news about Pharmaceuticals and Medicines Policy in the European Union.

Current priority areas for the EU's Pharmaceutical Industry Policy include competitiveness and innovation, pricing and reimbursement policies, medicines availability and patients' access to information. These issues are addressed, amongst others, in the framework of the High Level Pharmaceutical Forum and through the implementation of the Transparency Directive 89/105/EEC.

FACT SHEETS

General Information

• Priorities for the Pharmaceutical Sector in the EU
• Key directives: The EU Transparency Directive in the Pharmaceuticals sector
• Future direction of EU policy: innovation
• Pharmaceuticals Unit: Contacts

Expand your business

• Funding opportunities in the EU pharmaceutical industry

Business with third countries

• The EU and International Cooperation in Pharmaceuticals

Legislation

• The Rules Governing Medicinal Products in the European Union

LATEST NEWS

Macedonia seizes 22 kilos of heroin, detains four — 11 February 2012, 23:32 CET

Macedonian police seized some 22 kilogrames (48.4 pounds) of EU-bound heroin, worth up to three million euros (four million dollars), and detained four smugglers, a minister said on Saturday.

Euro police busts synthetics drug ring — 12 January 2012, 17:52 CET

Policing agency Europol said Thursday it has busted a major synthetic drugs-making network and arrested nine suspects in four countries, while recovering drugs, equipment, guns and explosives.

Bolivia asks EU, UN for anti-drug helicopters, radar — 13 December 2011, 23:27 CET

Bolivia, the world's third largest cocaine producer, will ask the European Union and United Nations to provide helicopters and radars to fight drug trafficking, President Evo Morales said Tuesday.

Canada-EU pact 'will raise drug costs' — 07 December 2011, 22:48 CET

A Canada-European Union free trade agreement that is currently being negotiated may lead to higher drug costs here, Canada's opposition warned on Wednesday.

4 European men charged in Malaysia drug case — 24 November 2011, 13:44 CET

Four European men have been charged together with six others for drug trafficking, which carries the death penalty upon conviction in Malaysia, a lawyer and police said Thursday.

Antimicrobial Resistance - guide — 17 November 2011, 17:57 CET

With about 25,000 patients dying per year in the EU from infections caused by drug resistant bacteria and related costs of over 1.5 billion euros in healthcare expenses and productivity losses , antimicrobial resistance is a growing health problem in the EU. Today, on the eve of European Antibiotic Awareness Day, the European Commission tabled a comprehensive Action Plan on Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) which unveils12 concrete actions to be implemented in close cooperation with the EU Member States.

Estonia tops EU addicts, overdose death lists: watchdog — 15 November 2011, 17:20 CET

European Union minnow Estonia has the highest proportion of injecting drug addicts and overdose deaths in the 27-nation bloc, a national watchdog body said Tuesday.

EU drugs watchdog warns of 'legal highs' surge — 15 November 2011, 17:21 CET

The rapid emergence of synthetic new drugs, often sold online as "legal highs," represents a significant challenge for policy makers in the coming decade, a European Union drugs agency said on Tuesday.

Malaysian police arrest 4 Europeans in drug raids — 13 November 2011, 14:23 CET

Malaysian police have busted a drug ring, detaining 11 people, including four Europeans, in the first such arrests in recent years, a senior official said Sunday.

EU anti-trust authorities probe Johnson & Johnson, Novartis — 21 October 2011, 15:59 CET

European anti-trust investigators said Friday they have opened a probe into deals between drugs giants Johnson & Johnson and Novartis.

Information to patients on prescription-only medicines - guide — 11 October 2011, 22:15 CET

The European Commission has adopted revised proposals clarifying the information that industry can supply to the public on prescription-only medicines.

EU approves P&G takeover of Teva drugs division — 30 September 2011, 18:27 CET

The European Commission gave its green light on Friday to the takeover by US consumer products giant Procter & Gamble of the 'over-the-counter' division of Israeli drugmaker Teva.

EU clears Takeda's takeover of Nycomed — 02 August 2011, 13:00 CET

European regulators cleared on Tuesday a takeover in the pharmaceutical sector worth 9.6 billion euros ($13.6 billion) by Japanese firm Takeda Pharmaceutical of Swiss drugmaker Nycomed.

Eleven detained in Croatia, Spain over cocaine smuggling — 24 May 2011, 19:42 CET

Police in Croatia and Spain smashed a trans-Atlantic cocaine smuggling ring from the Balkans, arresting 11 people suspected of trafficking some 700 kilos of cocaine, officials said Tuesday.

New drugs enter Europe at 'unprecedented pace' — 11 May 2011, 23:15 CET

New drugs are flooding the European market at an "unprecedented pace", the European drug monitoring centre and Europol warned in a joint report released on Wednesday.

EU opens anti-trust probe into stay-awake drug deal — 29 April 2011, 10:56 CET

European antitrust authorities have announced the opening of a formal antitrust probe into US drugs company Cephalon and Israel-based generic drugs firm Teva over stay-awake drug Modafinil.

EU Register of Clinical Trials — 22 March 2011, 17:57 CET

From 22 March 2011, all EU citizens have access to information on the thousands of authorised pharmaceutical clinical trials that are under way in the EU. The aim of this official public register is to make clinical research on pharmaceuticals more transparent for patients and others and to avoid unnecessary duplication of clinical trials. Every year approximately 4000 clinical trials are authorised in the EU. Since most of them last 2 to 3 years, this means that around 10,000 trials are ongoing at any given time.

HIV protesters tell India to defy EU drug demands — 02 March 2011, 16:42 CET

Thousands of HIV-positive protesters called on the Indian government on Wednesday to reject EU trade demands they said would make lifesaving drugs unaffordable to millions of people with the virus.

Bayer to take EUR 400m charge: report — 25 February 2011, 10:52 CET

The German chemical and pharmaceutical group Bayer will take a depreciation charge of 400 million euros ($550 million) as it abandons its Schering brand, a press report said Friday.

European Medicines Agency — 23 September 2010, 22:06 CET

The European Medicines Agency is a decentralised body of the European Union, located in London. Its main responsibility is the protection and promotion of public and animal health, through the evaluation and supervision of medicines for human and veterinary use.

EU approves acquisition of Millipore by Merck — 08 July 2010, 16:39 CET

The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the acquisition of Millipore, a US-based life science group of companies by the German pharmaceutical and chemical company Merck.

Incentive driven pharmaceutical prescription is lawful, EU Court rules — 06 May 2010, 12:44 CET

The European Court of Justice has ruled that public authorities may offer financial incentives to induce doctors to prescribe cheaper medicinal products. However, those authorities are required, first, to ensure that the incentive scheme is based on non-discriminatory objective criteria and, second, to make public, inter alia, the therapeutic evaluations relating to the scheme

Cheaper drugs incentive schemes ruled legal by European court — 24 April 2010, 00:30 CET

The European Court of Justice has ruled that public authorities may offer financial incentives to induce doctors to prescribe cheaper medicinal products.

CASELEX:EU:2008:92 - IP Law - Trade marks - Pharmaceutical products — 03 February 2010, 16:38 CET

The reference was made by the Oberster Gerichtshof (Austria) in the course of proceedings between The Wellcome Foundation Ltd (‘Wellcome’), proprietor of the Austrian trade mark ZOVIRAX, and Paranova Pharmazeutika Handels GmbH (‘Paranova’), concerning pharmaceutical products under the ZOVIRAX trade mark, marketed in Member States of the European Economic Area (‘EEA’) by Wellcome or by third parties, and the subject of parallel importation by Paranova and marketing by the latter in Austria, after having been repackaged.

The EU drugs action plan (2009-2012) — 06 January 2010, 00:35 CET

This action plan establishes five priorities to be implemented in the fight against drugs: coordination at European and national levels, reduction of demand for drugs, reduction of supply of drugs, international cooperation and information on the drugs phenomenon.