“Increasing generic medicine market penetration is the fastest way towards considerable and sustainable savings for healthcare systems in Europe” was the message of European Generics Association President Didier Barret to delegates at the group’s annual meeting, held in Rome on 3-4 June. A sustainable generic medicines industry must be based on three pillars, he said: fair access to market, fair pricing and fair competition.
Barret asserted that generic medicines bring savings of €30bn per annum to the EU and make up over 50 percent of dispensed medicines, while accounting for only 18 percent of expenditure on pharmaceuticals. The EGA called for efforts to ban market entry hurdles upon patent expiry and eliminate competition dysfunction for generics. It also emphasised the need to focus more on the penetration of generic medicines rather than solely on price, while creating a sustainable pricing and reimbursement system.