European Commission Recommends the Use of Generic and Biosimilar Medicines to Ensure the Sustainability of Healthcare Systems

Medicines for Europe welcomes the publication of the ‘Joint Report on Health Care and Long-Term Care Systems & Fiscal Sustainability’, prepared by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN[1]) and the Economic Policy Committee (Working Group on Ageing). The report presents the challenges for healthcare and the opportunities for cost containment by means of economies through economic efficiency which would ensure fiscally sustainable access to quality services for all. Increased use of generic and biosimilar medicines in medical practice is a central opportunity to increase the health status of European population without necessarily increasing the costs. The report highlights the need of policy action supporting the contribution of healthcare and long-term care systems to improve population health. Several recommendations have been presented to obtain a better price-quality ratio, ensure the access to medicines and increase the cost-effectiveness of services in healthcare and long-term care systems. Generic and biosimilar medicines in particular play a central role in this process.

Adrian van den Hoven, Medicines for Europe Director General, commented: “This report once again underlines the important role of generic and biosimilar medicines for sustainable healthcare. Medicines for Europe and its members, the national associations, are ready to partner with the EU and Member States to develop the most effective policies to increase the access to generic and biosimilar medicines.