ITP? Not ASAP.
John Dalli, Commissioner-designate for Health and Consumer Policy (SANCO) has pledged new initiatives to break the deadlock on Commission proposals to liberalize controls on the provision of prescription drug information to patients. And we all know how fast Brussels operates.
As Pharma Times reports:
- In the new European Commission, the move of responsibility for the pharmaceutical industry from the Directorate General (DG) for Industry and Enterprise to DG Health and Consumer Safety (SANCO) has been welcomed by consumer and patient groups. One of the reasons holding back progress on the information directive has been concern that it was drafted by DG Enterprise and Industry - whose responsibilities include regulatory and industrial policy for the pharmaceutical industry – rather than DG Sanco, which is concerned with consumers and public health.
While countries including Denmark, Sweden and the UK support the Commission’s proposals, a number of others – including France, Germany and Spain - oppose any move to liberalize controls on the provision of prescription drug information, for reasons including the fact that the draft does not distinguish sufficiently between “information” and “advertising.” They also believe that the industry should have no role in the provision of information to patients and that the proposals would drive up health costs by increasing demand and because of the need to set up monitoring mechanisms.
John Dalli, Commissioner-designate for Health and Consumer Policy (SANCO) has pledged new initiatives to break the deadlock on Commission proposals to liberalize controls on the provision of prescription drug information to patients. And we all know how fast Brussels operates.
As Pharma Times reports:
- In the new European Commission, the move of responsibility for the pharmaceutical industry from the Directorate General (DG) for Industry and Enterprise to DG Health and Consumer Safety (SANCO) has been welcomed by consumer and patient groups. One of the reasons holding back progress on the information directive has been concern that it was drafted by DG Enterprise and Industry - whose responsibilities include regulatory and industrial policy for the pharmaceutical industry – rather than DG Sanco, which is concerned with consumers and public health.
While countries including Denmark, Sweden and the UK support the Commission’s proposals, a number of others – including France, Germany and Spain - oppose any move to liberalize controls on the provision of prescription drug information, for reasons including the fact that the draft does not distinguish sufficiently between “information” and “advertising.” They also believe that the industry should have no role in the provision of information to patients and that the proposals would drive up health costs by increasing demand and because of the need to set up monitoring mechanisms.
