The Pharmaceutical Forum working group on Information to Patients has launched a consultation on a case study on diabetes information package and guiding principles.
EPHA main messages
Drawing upon the expertise of EPHA members and further to EPHA’s responses to the European Transparency Initiative and the Green Paper on the role of Civil Society in drug policy in the European Union, the European Public Health Alliance doubts the added value of the High Level Pharmaceutical Forum consultation on health-related information to patients.
EPHA believes that the EU should stand as a role leader in providing reliable and indisputable sources of information. In our view, the High Level Pharmaceutical Forum does not answer these two needs for the reasons outlined in our response. We therefore consider that the HL Pharmaceutical Forum, as it stands, and the outcomes of its work cannot be considered as indisputable, unbiased and reliable.
Our response to the consultation therefore highlights the following key messages:
EPHA urges the European Commission to revise its approach to engaging stakeholders in the debate on Information to patients;
EPHA calls on the European Commission to clarify how the results of the consultation exercise will be used. We consider that the High Level Pharmaceutical Forum or results from the consultation should not replace or interfere with the standard decision making procedures in the EU.
EPHA questions the added-value of the two consultation papers and urges the European Commission to make use of the recommendations on health information, agreed upon by the EU Health Policy Forum in May 2005.
As stated in the EU Health Policy Forum recommendations on health information, EPHA would like to stress that no relaxation of the current EU legislation which prohibits the advertising of prescription only medicines should be envisaged.
