In the sixth blog in our series looking at the story behind the EFPIA Manifesto, Koen Berden, Executive Director for International Affairs at EFPIA highlights the importance of a smart trade agenda to promote investment. We believe such an agenda is vital to create the necessary framework conditions to support national health care systems under pressure from the prevalence of chronic diseases and ageing populations.

The often-heard critique with respect to trade policy is that it is very high-level and abstract with limited relevance for real-life challenges that patients face. So, let’s turn the starting point around and begin from the perspective of the patient.