Delays in patient access
Cyprus and European officials warned on Friday that patients are facing growing delays in gaining access to medicine, while Europe risks falling behind in global pharmaceutical innovation and investment.
Speaking at a conference in Nicosia titled “Unlocking Europe’s Life Sciences Potential: A Policy Agenda for Competitiveness, Innovation and Patient Access”, officials highlighted concerns over access to new medicines and the need for stronger EU competitiveness in the life sciences sector.
Cyprus Energy, Commerce and Industry Minister Michalis Damianos said the EU must act quickly to strengthen competitiveness and ensure faster medicine access, particularly for smaller member states such as Cyprus.
“The data is clear,” he said, noting that the EU’s share of global clinical trial launches has dropped to around 12%, compared to about 30% in China.
“This is not just a statistic. It means fewer opportunities for European patients to gain timely access to innovative therapies,” he added. Damianos said it takes an average of around 24 months for new medicines to reach patients in Europe, compared to just four months in the United States.
“For patients waiting for life-saving treatments, these delays are not administrative. They are deeply personal and often critical,” he said.
Priorities for EU policy
Damianos outlined four priorities for EU policy, including stronger incentives for research and development, modernising the regulatory framework, improving access across all member states and accelerating digital transformation in healthcare.
“No patient should wait years for treatment simply because of where they live,” he said.
Earlier, European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) Director General Nathalie Moll said medicine access in Cyprus has worsened, with waiting times now exceeding 500 days on average.
“Access to medicines remains a real challenge in Cyprus,” she said, adding that delays had increased from over 400 days in 2022 to more than 500 today.
She referred to preliminary findings from EFPIA’s upcoming Patients WAIT Indicator survey, which showed some improvement in medicine availability in Cyprus, rising from 29% to 39%, although still below the EU average of 45%.
Moll said access challenges are linked to regulatory procedures, pricing and reimbursement issues, as well as underinvestment in innovative medicines. She also warned that external developments, including possible policy changes in the United States, could further affect timelines.
Challenges for smaller markets
Moll noted that smaller markets such as Cyprus face particular difficulties, including documentation requirements for oncology medicines, small populations for orphan drugs and financing challenges for advanced therapies.
To address these issues, she highlighted EFPIA’s Smaller Markets Dialogue Platform, a voluntary initiative involving Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Malta.
She also pointed out that patients in countries such as Germany gain access to new medicines in around 158 days, while delays elsewhere can be up to seven times longer.
On competitiveness, Moll warned that Europe is steadily losing ground globally, with its share in worldwide research and development declining significantly over the past 25 years, while its share in clinical trials has halved over the last decade.
Cyprus Presidency priorities
Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides said ensuring fair and timely medicine access is a key priority of Cyprus’ Presidency of the Council of the EU.
“In this context, the keyword is autonomy,” he said, referring to the EU’s ability to secure access to medicines and technologies even during crises. He stressed that improving availability, affordability and access to medicines and medical devices remains a central policy goal.
“Medical innovation achieves its full value only when it reaches the people who need it, regardless of the country they live in,” he said.
European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare Olivér Várhelyi, in a recorded message, described life sciences as a strategic pillar for Europe’s future.
He referred to the proposed Biotech Act, aimed at simplifying regulations, strengthening funding and helping innovative products enter the market more quickly.
Conference discussions
KEFEA President Kyriakos Mikellis said Europe must ensure that its political environment keeps pace with scientific progress.
“As a small member state, Cyprus understands both the opportunities and the structural challenges within the European framework,” he said.
The conference, held under the auspices of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, brought together policymakers, industry representatives and healthcare professionals to discuss strengthening Europe’s life sciences sector and improving medicine access.
Source: CNA
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