EUPHA Working Group on Access to Medicines

Background

All citizens in Europe and beyond should have access to essential medicines that are affordable and of high quality. However, the current laws, rules and processes that regulate access of medicinal products – including vaccines – to the market and determine availability and distribution of these products for patients/citizens, do not always have the desired effects. We see problems such as (extremely) high prices, stock shortages, unequal/unfair distribution - as we have seen e.g., during the COVID-19 pandemic -, market access for medicines with very little added value, and persistently inadequately addressed unmet societal needs (e.g., lack of investment in new antimicrobials and in medicines for neglected tropical diseases). Access to medicines as an element of Universal Health Coverage therefore is an important topic for EUPHA. Currently, several important developments are ongoing that will impact on access to medicines in Europe, most notably the revision of the EU pharmaceutical legislation, the establishment of the Access to Novel Medicines Platform (NMP) by WHO-Euro as an outcome of the Oslo Medicines Initiative, and the development of a global Pandemic Treaty. This means that there is a clear momentum to bring in the public health
perspective and make sure that an evidence-based and equitable population health lens is applied in these policy processes. To help EUPHA in their advocacy for this, EUPHA is calling for experts for an advisory working group on access to medicines. 

The working group was launced in July 2023.

The members of the working group are: