On Monday, 20 May 2019, the Republic of Korea, Italy, Costa Rica, Greece, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Mongolia, Netherlands, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, and Vietnam convened an official side event at the 72nd session of the World Health Assembly on “Access to medicines, vaccines and health products: A multi-dimensional approach for ensuring transparency of markets, affordable and quality products to achieve Universal Health Coverage”. Health Policy Watch published an informative piece on this event, Several Ministers Of Health Speak Up For Drug Market Transparency, Lower Prices At WHA Side Event.
The following intervention by Portugal’s Minister of Health, Marta Temido, was delivered in Salle XXIII of the United Nations Palais des Nations. In her speech, Minister Temido underscored Portugal’s unwavering support of the WHO transparency resolution.
Transparency is a fundamental value of modern, open and democratic societies.
However, lack of transparency prevails in the pharmaceutical and health technologies market, from research and development to quality assurance, regulatory capacity, supply chain management and use.
In order to tackle this issue, we strongly support the introduction of measures and the use of tools to increase transparency. Besides, sharing reliable and detailed data on Research & Development, benefits and added therapeutic value of products is paramount to leverage negotiations and consequently enhance affordability and accessibility of medicines.
Thus, has we have come to defend, promoting transparency throughout the value chain, strengthening pricing policies, cross-sector and cross-border collaboration for information-sharing, regulation and joint procurement of medicines are paramount to enhance affordability and accessibility of medicines.
This is one of the reasons why Portugal has decided to join Italy before this Assembly as main sponsor of the draft resolution on Improving the transparency of markets for medicines, vaccines and other health-related technologies.
Minister Temido’s remarks are reproduced in full below.
72 World Health Assembly Side-event
(20 May 2019)
Access to medicines, vaccines and health products: A multi-dimensional approach for ensuring transparency of markets, affordable and quality products to achieve UHC
It is with enormous satisfaction that I stand before you, in this important event co-sponsored by Portugal, that gathers, under the same umbrella, two important and intertwined issues: Universal Health Coverage and access to medicines.
My first words are to acknowledge WHO for hosting this side-event to the 72nd World Health Assembly, supporting Portugal in its organization, and granting the opportunity to address such a relevant and emergent topic that concerns us all: the effective access to medicines, vaccines and health products.
Today, we move towards a pragmatic approach to access quality, safe and affordable medicines, from a human rights and public health perspective that in itself constitutes an essential element of universal health coverage and of addressing the right to health.
Guaranteeing equitable access to new and innovative medicines, especially those that fulfil unmet medical needs or bring significant health benefits, is a responsibility that binds us all in the shared duty of ensuring the right to health and healthcare.
Over the last couple of years, there has been a continuous increase in health care expenditure, despite the efforts to maintain sustainability of health systems. Nevertheless, health care expenditure is expected to worsen given the ageing of the population and the growth in the prevalence of chronic diseases. Much of the increase in health care expenditure is attributable to medicines and medical products.
At the same time, health systems face a continuous pressure to adopt new drugs, with higher value for patients and health systems, but where matters of cost-effectiveness and evidence based information still prevail. As an example, I recall the case of hepatitis C or cancer drugs, which have become personalized and are often orphan drugs.
This scenario endures countries to search for solutions to balance access to innovative medicines, treatment safety and financial sustainability. In line with this, collaboration between countries concerning access to medicines has grown with the intention to address unmet medical needs and limited financial resources.
We can all agree that in order to assess the worth of adopting innovative health technologies it is necessary to have access to reliable, transparent and detailed information throughout the lifecycle of the product and its value chain. Additionally, it is important that payers collect information that proves the claimed benefit, through national or European registries.
Transparency is a fundamental value of modern, open and democratic societies.
However, lack of transparency prevails in the pharmaceutical and health technologies market, from research and development to quality assurance, regulatory capacity, supply chain management and use.
In order to tackle this issue, we strongly support the introduction of measures and the use of tools to increase transparency. Besides, sharing reliable and detailed data on Research & Development, benefits and added therapeutic value of products is paramount to leverage negotiations and consequently enhance affordability and accessibility of medicines.
The Valetta declaration initiative, in which Portugal participates, is already taking steps towards an information sharing system to support such goals.
Research & Development is, without any doubt, costly and needs to be impact in the final price of the medicine, particularly in those cases where Research & Development is funded and conducted by States. It is a matter of good governance, respect for taxpayers’ money and ultimately for guaranteeing human right to health.
Countries have to continue to collaborate between themselves and pursue the ultimate goal of defending the public interest. The current situation where we have to wait for the industry, where we are bound to confidential agreements, where companies select preferences needs to change.
Despite the complexity and controversy around these matters, it is crucial to promote a constructive and consequent debate between the industry, the governments and other stakeholders and to foster a collaborative approach that may enable longstanding sustainability and affordability for health systems while ensuring access.
Thus, has we have come to defend, promoting transparency throughout the value chain, strengthening pricing policies, cross-sector and cross-border collaboration for information-sharing, regulation and joint procurement of medicines are paramount to enhance affordability and accessibility of medicines.
This is one of the reasons why Portugal has decided to join Italy before this Assembly as main sponsor of the draft resolution on Improving the transparency of markets for medicines, vaccines and other health-related technologies.
We believe that it can represent a step forward in pragmatically address this issue since it stimulates the sharing of international information which is essential to achieve enhanced transparency, notably the dissemination of the results and costs from human subject clinical trials and generic product policies.
WHO has an essential role to play in helping and guiding States to address the existing obstacles to access to medicines.
Portugal is strongly committed with the implementation of the next steps of this resolution and of WHO’s roadmap on access to medicines.
Thank you very much!