PRESS RELEASE - 22.06.2021

The EU institutions have struck a long overdue deal that will require Member States to carry out joint assessments of medicines and other health technologies for the EU market.

To date, new medicines and medical devices are being assessed individually by Member States for their added value, and countries have only coordinated their assessments on a voluntary basis. This has often led to countries duplicating the same work carried out by other EU countries. The Health Technology Assessment Regulation changes that. By delivering scientific information on the added therapeutic value of new products through joint work by all Member States, the new system will help save money in countries’ health budgets and increase the likelihood that only the medicines providing the greatest benefits to consumers get reimbursed by healthcare systems.

Monique Goyens, Director General of the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), said:
“Some medicines and devices deliver greater benefits to consumers than others, and it is important that these are the ones that get reimbursed by social security. This EU agreement will help improve consumer access to the medicines they need and help cut unnecessary costs in Member State health budgets.”

This legislation will now need to be agreed by EU ministers and voted on in the European Parliament before it can become EU law. The law should apply as of 2024.

ENDS

For more information about BEUC’s work in this area, we have a factsheet and a position paper.