MEP rekindles idea of EU medicine pricing

French MEP Francoise Grossetete has rekindled the idea of setting European-level prices for medicines.

The idea was brought up again at the second annual meeting of the Pharmaceutical Forum in Brussels, where the European Commission brings together European Union member states, three members of the European Parliament and associations involved in medicines and health.

'A European price doesn't mean a single price for member states. We can't do that, given the economic and social differences between member states,' explained Grossetete, who represents the European Parliament in the Forum together with German colleagues Dagmar Roth-Berendt (PSE) and Jorgo Chatzimarkakis (ALDE).

One possibility would be to start by fixing a European price with the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) and then to negotiate rebates with member states. Grossetete suggesting that an experiment could be launched with a few prescription products proposed by the pharma industry.

She said that member states tend to define health policy solely in terms of money. 'We need attitudes to change so that we can have a comprehensive health policy.'

Grossetete criticised the Pharmaceutical Forum for being too conventional. 'The Forum hasn't got us very far. We in the European Parliament are not satisfied,' she said. The Forum is to hold a final meeting next year.

Grossetete said she was 'impatient' for progress in the area of information for patients. The enterprise and industry commissioner, Guenter Verheugen, has revealed that he intends to propose legislation in this area as soon as possible, but without giving dates. Grossetete is hoping that the Commission will produce a draft at the beginning of 2008.

But in 2001 the Commission proposed a five-year pilot experiment relaxing rules on direct-to-patient advertising of prescription medicines for HIV/AIDS, diabetes and asthma treatments. However, the idea had fizzled out following outright rejection by the European Parliament and member states and an outcry from consumers' associations. Grossetete blamed the Commission for using the word 'advertising' in its draft.

She said that well-produced information for patients would not result in rocketing expenses. 'There are still people who think that providing patients with information is going to lead to over-consumption. But if the information is good, this should not happen.'

She is not opposed to pharmaceutical industry participation in the provision of information, as 'the industry is well-qualified to talk about the products of its research'. However, the information must be thoroughly controlled, she continued, suggesting that the EMEA could assume this role if given the means to do so.