EFPIA statement on the Corporate Europe Observatory Report on the Innovative Medicines Initiative
25.05.20
The Corporate Europe Observatory Report on the Innovative Medicines Initiative is a biased, misrepresentation of an important part of Europe's medical research eco-system. For over 10 years, IMI has brought together scientists and researchers from across industry and academia together with other stakeholders such as regulators and patients, to accelerate the development of diagnostics, treatments and vaccines that can transform the lives of patients. The report neglects to recognise the significant tangible impact made by the more than 100 IMI projects such as 193 novel definitions and mechanisms helping to decipher diseases, 69 novel drug targets including 35 validated drug targets and 34 in vitro models and tools, 70 new research animal models, 316 in silico models, 12 novel imaging techniques, 326 biomarkers in development comprising of198 candidates and 136 validated biomarkers, 8 new clinical trial networks with more than 1 885 sites across Europe as well as 39 cohorts and registries.
As Europe has been at the epicentre of the COVID-19 crisis, it is clear that medical innovation facilitated by collaborative research has never been more important for Europe's citizens, the region's resilience to global health threats and addressing our existing health challenges. EFPIA remains committed to investing in Europe's collaborative research eco-system through IMI, working with the European Commission, the IMI Office and all other partners in an open and transparent way to ensure that we can continue to help tackle some of our biggest health challenges together.