Sweden and Denmark gathered EU health ministers for a meeting on pharmaceutical legislation

– I am happy that together with Denmark and my ministerial colleague Sophie Løhde we were able to organize the meeting with like-minded people. It is important to find a solution that ensures the EU’s competitiveness and equal access to medicines, says Health Minister Acko Ankarberg Johansson.

Almost exactly one year ago, the European Commission presented its proposal for new European pharmaceutical legislation. The Swedish and Danish governments support the overall goal of improving security of supply and ensuring prompt and fair access to safe and effective medicines, at a reasonable price, for all patients within the EU. They also want to see that legislation provides robust incentives for investment in research and development.

– The Commission proposes a shorter data protection period during which companies’ innovations are protected compared to the current system. The proposed protection period can be extended if certain targeted requirements are met. The new proposal adds more unpredictability to the system, and here we see risks that it could create difficulties for Europe to both attract and retain investment in new and innovative medicines. On the contrary, the legislation should create stable incentives for innovations and favorable conditions for the industry to invest more. Therefore, it is important to maintain today’s rules for data protection, says Acko Ankarberg Johansson.

During the breakfast meeting, the design of the legislation regarding data protection was discussed and ideas about alternatives that could benefit innovation and research in the pharmaceutical industry were exchanged. The meeting was attended by ministers and representatives from Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Italy and Hungary as the incoming EU presidency.