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Letta report identifies untapped potential of Single Market for consumers

The report published today by Enrico Letta from the Jacques Delors Institute is a welcome effort to remove barriers that prevent the Single Market...

Enforcement
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EU Parliament introduces improvements to pharma package without going full mile for consumers

The EU Parliament has proposed some positive changes to the pharma package, the EU’s largest reform of pharmaceutical legislation in twenty years, but...

Pharmaceuticals
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Keys to consumer health data should lie more with consumers

EU countries have today agreed they would prefer their governments to take many of the important decisions surrounding access to consumers’ health...

Digital health
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Consumers uneasy with sharing their health data, survey shows

A survey across eight European countries shows that consumers are more cautious about sharing their health data than legislation currently under...

Digital health
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Commission’s pharma package is important step forward but consumers will still need easier access to medicines

The European Commission proposals published today to reform the EU’s medicines and pharmaceutical legislation are a good step in the right direction...

Pharmaceuticals Access to medicines
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Topics
Access to medicines
Clinical trials
Digital health
Medical devices
Pharmaceuticals
visual on consumer attitutes to health data sharing
Consumers uneasy with sharing their health data, survey shows
- PDF Document - 169.77 KB

Digital health
Available in English
A survey across eight European countries shows that consumers are more cautious about sharing their health data than legislation currently under discussion at EU level proposes. The findings underline that EU legislators urgently need to better reflect people’s preferences in the European Health Data Space Regulation which is already under discussion by the EU institutions. This is essential for people to feel confident about sharing their health data to improve healthcare provision and make their data available for research and public health purposes.
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Close-up of medicines
Commission’s pharma package is important step forward but consumers will still need easier access to medicines
- PDF Document - 91.41 KB

Pharmaceuticals
Access to medicines
Available in English
The European Commission proposals published today to reform the EU’s medicines and pharmaceutical legislation are a good step in the right direction by moving the EU into a more active role to address numerous market failures. However, set against a backdrop of fairly widespread medicine shortages and increasing pressure on state budgets to reimburse people’s medicines, these proposals will have to go further to resolve the problems.
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Weathering the Cost-of-Living crisis, cover
Weathering the cost-of-living crisis: 8 solutions by European consumer organisations
- PDF Document - 512.01 KB

Pharmaceuticals
Energy markets
Energy consumer rights
Banking and payment services
Investor protection
Consumer policy
Unfair commercial practices
Enforcement
Renewable energy
Access to medicines
Sustainable finance
Food sustainability
Available in English
Europe is undergoing a ‘perfect storm’: the rising energy prices, only partly linked to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and its implications on other sectors (food, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, products, and services linked to energy-intensive production) led to heavy inflation. While salaries remain in most countries stable, prices are skyrocketing and supply chains are being disrupted, generating among many consumers major worries about their short-term future.

Therefore, it is crucial to identify and roll out measures to address or mitigate the effects of the cost-of-living crisis for consumers. These measures call for action by different stakeholders, be they market players or policy makers. They also have different timelines and need to be targeted depending on the specific needs of certain population segments
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Time to lift the blindfold on medicine prices

Over the past years, the exorbitant prices of new medicines have been making headlines across Europe. Before a new medicine hits a national market, there are usually price negotiations between the drug manufacturer and the national authority. However, there is currently an asymmetry of information in these talks to the disadvantage of national authorities, who must largely negotiate in the dark.

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As consumers are faced with a growing amount of information from different sources, we advocate for high quality and non-promotional information about health products.

The ageing of the population, rising healthcare costs and the economic crisis are challenging the sustainability of healthcare systems and consumers’ access to treatments.

Health scandals such as the weight-loss drug Mediator and the faulty PIP breast implants keep undermining consumers’ confidence in the safety of available health products and their oversight by the competent authorities.

  • Ensure consumers have access to high quality healthcare in all EU Member States
  • Guarantee consumers benefit from safe and innovative treatments
  • Allow consumers to make informed choices regarding their health