EFPIA and Vaccines Europe respond to the European Commission's Global Health Strategy
30.11.22
EFPIA and Vaccines Europe welcome the announcement of the Global Health Strategy and its comprehensive approach to global health challenges.
Key areas identified by the Commission, including bio-preparedness and AMR – on top of Covid-19 – are global issues which require partnership and collaboration, which no sector can address alone.
AMR is a significant threat to public health. Through the revision of the Pharmaceutical Legislation, the EU has a leadership opportunity with the introduction of the Transfer of Exclusivity Extension proposal (TEE) a workable solution to drive research and development into new and novel antibiotics.
An important role for the EU globally should also be in the area of health systems strengthening and capacity building. The COVID-19 crisis showed that the challenge in many parts of the world, including in many lower and middle income countries, was not vaccine supplies but the capacity of local health systems to distribute and administer the vaccines to the population. Without functioning health systems, there will never be improved equity of vaccines and other countermeasures in a global health crisis.
This plan should also help to strengthen the health research ecosystem in Europe and globally to enable effective development and delivery of much needed medicines and vaccines. It’s important that the resources to implement this plan are proportionate to the level of ambition.
We look forward to working with our members to review the strategy in detail and will comment further in due course.