On the 9th of June, EFA Senior EU Policy Adviser and Deputy Director Roberta Savli took part in a panel discussion on so-called value-added medicines organised in the framework of the Joint 22nd Medicines for Europe and 19th International Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association (IGBA) annual conference in Dubrovnik (Croatia).
The session aimed at presenting value-added medicines as a new value proposition for patients, healthcare practitioners and systems. According to Medicines for Europe, these are old medicines that no longer have a patent, where something has been added, for example a new delivery method or a dose to address identified needs by different patient populations. Roberta presented the patients’ perspective and underlined that value-added medicines, while not a scientific term, may have the potential for improve and increase the number of available medicines to patients in the market, support limiting shortages and increasing availability and meeting some of patients’ unmet needs.
Prof. Toumi, from University of Montpellier, who had done a study for Medicines for Europe presented that every year Europe loses 125 billion Euros and 200,000 lives due to poor adherence. The value added concept aims to help address adherence as well.
All participants called for collaboration among different stakeholders, industry, policy-makers, healthcare professionals, but also insurers and patients.
For more information about drugs, do not hesitate visiting our dedicated medicines section.