EFPIA calls on EU to strengthen support for biomedical innovation in political advertisement
The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), in a sponsored column that Politico Europe labeled as political advertising, called on the European Union to strengthen incentives for biomedical innovation, accelerate access to new treatments, and develop manufacturing and research capacity.
The column’s author, Fina Lladós, argues that Europe led in the launch of new medicines in the 1990s, but ceded ground to the United States in the following decade and, by 2024, also to China. According to her, over the past 20 years, the EU’s share of global investment in pharmaceutical research and development has declined significantly, as has the share of clinical trials conducted in Europe.
Clinical research and access to treatment
The column notes that moving clinical research and patent applications outside Europe means a loss of knowledge, skilled jobs, and opportunities for Europeans. Of particular concern, according to the author, is that advanced therapies, personalized treatments, solutions for genetic diseases, and certain types of cancer are increasingly being developed outside Europe.
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Lladós links the need for an urgent EU response to US trade policy toward the pharmaceutical industry, including tariffs and most-favored-nation pricing, as well as to China’s rapid development. She believes that companies need predictable regulation, legal certainty, and fiscal incentives that recognize the value of innovation.
Proposals for the European Union
Among the steps proposed in the column are faster approval of clinical trials, harmonization of procedures among EU member states, and strengthening research infrastructure. The author also advocates modernizing biopharmaceutical manufacturing, developing advanced therapies and personalized medicine, and using artificial intelligence in the search for new medicines.
EFPIA has expectations for the future European Biotech Act. The column states that it could reduce administrative barriers, improve access to venture capital, and create regulatory sandboxes for advanced therapies. The European Health Data Space, in the author’s assessment, could support research provided that systems are interoperable, procedures are simplified, data are protected, and public trust is ensured.
