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

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

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

BEUC NEWS - 20.12.2022 On 1 January 2023, Sweden will take over the rotating presidency of the EU Council, succeeding to the Czech Republic. With our...

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The current pandemic is a stress test for our health care systems and sky-high medicines prices are one of the problems that need solving. As vaccines, testing kits and treatments are urgently needed to tackle COVID-19, BEUC urges the EU to ensure that public funding into treatment research results in medicines that are affordable to all. Experience shows that public investment in medicines research − such as cancer drugs − does not always ensure fair prices.

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