Council urges Commission to consider its opinions on medicinal products and public health
In the run-up to the forthcoming review of Community legislation on pharmaceuticals, the Council has published its conclusions from debates held earlier this year on medicinal products and public health. In them, the Council underlines the continuing need for regulation of the pharmaceutical sector to reconcile private supply and social objectives. 'Policy must ensure the widest possible access to appropriate medicines and respond to the challenges of dynamic pharmaceutical markets,' comments the Council. Such efforts will be important for encouraging employment in this sector and assisting the Member States to pursue their public health and industrial policy objectives. 'This is particularly important in the context of enlargement',' it adds. In addition, the Council underlines the importance of identifying medicines with 'significant added therapeutic value' in order to promote innovation. '[This] is vital not only from a health-protection perspective but also from an industrial policy viewpoint and that requires relevant basic and applied research, both at national and Community level.' Strategies against antibiotic resistance are mentioned in particular. As a general point, the Council is keen to see further promotion of collaboration between the Member States to share experiences and methodologies. The development of databases providing industry independent information on medicines to health professionals, and where appropriate, to the public is also highlighted, alongside the need for continued promotion of information on generic drugs. Quality, safety and efficacy of drugs used in the veterinary field are also touched on and the Council urges the Commission also to consider the safety of animal derived products, the safe use of veterinary products, policies on the eradication of certain infectious diseases, and their possible diffusion in the environment and misuses. The Council has now called on the Commission to carry forward a broad health strategy to exploit the full potential of the Community action in relation to medicinal products and public health.