The members of the European Alliance for Responsible R&D and Affordable Medicines have joint their voices in the Joint Rome Declaration to raise awareness and concerns on the most pressing issues related to access to affordable medicines, including the EU’s Pharmaceutical Strategy.
The COVID-19 outbreak has shown that the quest for equitable access to medicines facilitated by a fairer biomedical R&D system still remain work in progress. It is time for global, European and national legislators to bring balance to the current system of pharmaceutical incentives so that it serves the public interest via a patient-centered approach. to:
- Secure available, affordable and accessible medicines
- Use incentives for new antibiotics that delink the cost of investment in R&D from the prices and volume of sales
- Set higher standards for patentability at the European Patent Office
- Remove legislative and regulatory obstacles to the use of TRIPS flexibilities
- Promote transparency of R&D and other costs as well as net prices of medicines
- Adopt laws, regulations and public funding conditionalities that ensure that the results of all clinical trials are made public
- Ensure transparency and accountability of political decision at EMA and HERA
- Commit public funds to support a needs-driven approach to pharmaceutical R&D and address unmet needs
- Prevent medicine shortages and reduce their impact on patients and healthcare providers
- Ensure the co-creation of European pharmaceutical policies by facilitating the meaningful involvement of patients, consumers, and healthcare professionals and civil society
- Strengthen existing legislation on the human rights duties of pharmaceutical companies in relation to access to medicines in the EU
We are confident that policymakers will prioritise health to enable real learning from recent crises.
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