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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 EU Commission plans to improve consumers’ access to their own health data, whether they are checking it online or when they need it when abroad. Today’s plans aim to improve electronic health, or ‘e-health’. The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) applauds the move as 90% of consumers would like to manage their own health data.
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Today, the EU Commission has proposed to reinforce Member States’ collaboration when they assess the added value of health technologies, such as medicines, medical devices or surgeries. This will lead to a better use of taxpayers’ money, in turn channelling money towards more innovative treatments and research. BEUC supports the idea of joining efforts to conduct Health Technology Assessment (HTA) in Europe and highlights some requirements to make the system work for consumers.

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