New report highlights key role of generics in ensuring healthcare sustainability (1 min read)
Nov 25, 2016
A new report by the OECD and the European Commission highlights the key role played by generic medicines in ensuring the sustainability of healthcare systems.
The report, Health at a Glance 2016, concludes that the development of markets for generic medicines increases efficiency in pharmaceutical spending and encourages countries to do more to leverage the generic opportunity. However, it focuses on short-term cost containment measures rather than on policies to ensure the long-term sustainability of healthcare.
Adrian van den Hoven, director-general of Medicines for Europe, commented: “We encourage the Commission to focus on generic, biosimilar and value-added medicine policies that increase access to medicines for patients rather than short-term and counterproductive cost containment measures. Our medicines are developed and manufactured to serve patient needs not austerity policies”.
In our own survey of public and expert opinion, we found that both healthcare professionals and members of the public believe affordable generic medicines play a key role in driving access to healthcare. Join the conversation on Twitter and tell us how you think this report contributes (or otherwise) to #MakingAccessHappen.
