According to the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations new “Manifesto for an Integrated Life Sciences Strategy in Europe,” drug manufacturers in Europe are missing out on opportunities for growth and patient outreach because they are failing to understand the value and potential of mobile health applications.
Per EFPIA’s director general Richard Bergström, “This is going in the direction of better patient compliance, adherence and motivation as well as an emphasis on health literacy and mobile apps … We need to find a way to unlock both the perceived and real regulatory hurdles, because I am not sure that the regulatory barriers are that high, and I think we are just being held back by conservatism.”
Bergström’s views are supported by the EU’s executive European Commission, which launched a Green Paper and consultation on mHealth in April this year. Its purpose is to examine existing barriers and issues related to mHealth deployment and help identify the right way forward to unlock its potential inside the 28-nation system.
