Forum Ekonomiczne

„Rzeczpospolita” na Forum Ekonomicznym w Karpaczu 2024

Cooperation in the EU can support innovation

Europe can become more competitive when it harnesses the innovative potential of pharmaceutical companies. The Polish Presidency can also be used to present needs and blockages, but also to create optimal solutions.

Publikacja: 09.09.2024 04:28

Cooperation in the EU can support innovation

Foto: Maciej Zygmunt

Europe has overtaken the US and China in the number of modern drugs introduced to the market. Last year, there were 28 in the US, 25 in China, and eight fewer in Europe. Representatives of national and global pharmaceutical companies spoke in Karpacz about what economic and cultural conditions are conducive to making Europe more innovative in the global market.

The following people talked about “Competitiveness of the pharmaceutical sector and development opportunities”: Agnieszka Grzybowska-Zalewska, member of the Management Board of Sanofi Poland, Jacek Śmiałek, acting President of Sandoz in Poland, Yuriy Markevych, Head of Customer Relations at Yuria-Pharm, Krzysztof Kopeć, President of the Polish Association of Employers in the Pharmaceutical Industry - National Pharmaceutical Manufacturers, Justin Gandy, Managing Director of MSD Poland, Sameh Rafla, CEO of Takeda Pharma, and Krzysztof Kępiński, Head of External Relations at GSK.

In the 1960s, $1 billion could create and market ten new drugs, now an average of $3 billion is needed for one. The innovative profile of the pharmaceutical industry has changed: many companies are investing more in collaborating with start-ups on research, rather than developing their own research centres. Together, they are working on new drugs and conducting clinical trials.

As Agnieszka Grzybowska-Zalewska pointed out, what is above all important to the patient is that the medicines are available, and they usually do not pay attention to where they are produced: "The important thing is that innovation is doing well in the world and, as a result, we have a much better chance of having targeted therapies than we used to.”

In assessing the Polish market, she noted that it was difficult to convince global companies to conduct clinical trials in countries where these drugs would then not be available, as reimbursement was hardly offered for them. In her view, digitalisation would certainly improve the competitiveness of the region (including the EU as a whole). "We have a lot of different data, we just don't analyse it, it's not generally available, so that the doctor that the patient goes to see considers the 'whole' patient and not just one disease,” explained the CEO of Sanofi Poland.

Pandemics, supply problems and the threat of war have led many countries to create a list of critical medicines. Medicines that, ideally, should be produced in the respective countries. The production relocation system is supported by the governments of Germany, France and Italy.

Krzysztof Kopeć pointed out that the money that had been earmarked in the National Reconstruction Plan for ensuring drug safety had been transferred to the growth of electromobility. "Military security is important, but if it turns out that soldiers have diabetes, for example, and there are no medicines for them, there will be no one to operate the machines and use the ammunition.”

Sectoral analyses show that as much money is needed to set up a factory to produce the 100 most needed medicines for drug safety as it costs to build 50 km of motorways.

The panellists wondered what issues should be addressed, if not resolved, during the Polish presidency of the EU. Jacek Śmiałek believes that there should be a coherent and flexible system to ensure access to medicines between countries. At present, many want to secure it by setting supply limits under reimbursement; these are often excessive, which raises storage costs but can also mean medicines are wasted. It is worth considering the rules of public support for the industry's innovative activities. Justin Gandy believes that improving competitiveness is certainly served by legal predictability and public-private dialogue.

PARTNER: ISW

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Europe has overtaken the US and China in the number of modern drugs introduced to the market. Last year, there were 28 in the US, 25 in China, and eight fewer in Europe. Representatives of national and global pharmaceutical companies spoke in Karpacz about what economic and cultural conditions are conducive to making Europe more innovative in the global market.

The following people talked about “Competitiveness of the pharmaceutical sector and development opportunities”: Agnieszka Grzybowska-Zalewska, member of the Management Board of Sanofi Poland, Jacek Śmiałek, acting President of Sandoz in Poland, Yuriy Markevych, Head of Customer Relations at Yuria-Pharm, Krzysztof Kopeć, President of the Polish Association of Employers in the Pharmaceutical Industry - National Pharmaceutical Manufacturers, Justin Gandy, Managing Director of MSD Poland, Sameh Rafla, CEO of Takeda Pharma, and Krzysztof Kępiński, Head of External Relations at GSK.

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