by Guillaume Bietry
PARIS, Sep 12 (APM) - The first steps were taken towards international cooperation on drug prices on Sunday and Monday at the G7 health ministers' meeting in Kobe, the French health minister's office told APM on Monday.
The health ministers of the world's seven most powerful industrialised countries (the U.S., Japan, France, Germany, the UK, Italy and Canada) met for two days to discuss international health subjects, particularly the issue of prices of innovative drugs - judged to be too high - and their impact on health systems.
This point had been put on the agenda by government heads at the previous G7 meeting, held at Ise-Shima, Japan, in May.
This was after a request made by French president François Hollande, who as he wrote in The Lancet early in May wants international co-operation to "fight against the prohibitive price of certain new drugs, all while promoting innovation" (APMMA 47656).
According to the office of health minister Marisol Touraine, who participated in the G7 health summit during a six-day trip to Japan, discussion of the price of innovative drugs "produced an agreement in favour of international action/discussions to control the cost of innovations".
At the joint press conference closing the ministers' meeting, minister Touraine announced that at France's request and with the support of the G7 summit, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) would carry out a "diagnostic" study of the situation.
The research will provide a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the sustainability of pharmaceutical expenditure in the medium term, particularly via prospective impact studies of novel innovative drugs in oncology, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, HIV and hepatitis C. Several countries have volunteered to participate.
The OECD will set up a group of "high level" experts "to make proposals to improve the sustainability of innovative drug access," the French minister's office said. The group is due to be set up "in the coming weeks".
The OECD will also consult with the various stakeholders, notably the pharma industry, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), major research institutes and patient associations.
Discussion of drug prices is due to continue at the meeting of OECD health ministers scheduled for January 17 2017 in Paris. "An interim report is due to be published shortly, and a final report will be published in December 2017," the French minister's office said.
"The issue of innovative drug access concerns all countries, without exception: every country faces the risk of being unable to buy innovative drugs because of their high prices," the French health minister said at the joint press conference, according to her office.
"The international community must stick together; this is vital; I will fight for this! The future of our health systems is at stake, along with the future of financing innovation," she added.
/gb/aki/clg
TRY APM Market Access AND GET ACCESS TO THE FULL CONTENT
Interviews with KOLs/senior executives amongst the Regulators, Payers, Health, Medical & Pharmaceutical organisations
Events coverage with a unique focus on Market Access & sustainability of healthcare systems
6 European bureaus : Berlin, Brussels, London, Madrid, Milan & Paris
Ask for a Free trial and get access to the latest stories
Our coverage includes:
- Health Care
- Market Access
- HTA – policies & practices
- European medicine regulations
- Drug safety issues
- Pricing & Reimbursement
- International medicines agencies
If you are a Payer, Pharmaceutical or Consulting professional our premium data will keep you informed on the regulatory, pricing, market access and cost-effectiveness issues that impact all stakeholders.
REQUEST
an initial 10 day temporary access of APM Market Access.
