Background
The provision of information to patients has been under discussion at European level for a number of years. The report on current practices with regard to the provision of information to patients on medicinal products was released in December 2007 as a communication to the European Parliament and Council from the Commission. This report recommends that information on medicinal products is harmonized within the European Union (EU) in order to ensure that all patients have equal access to information on medicinal products. DG Enterprise and Industry states the purpose of this proposal is to ensure that all EU citizens have access to good-quality, objective, reliable and non promotional information on prescription-only medicinal products.
EPHA’s view on the Commission proposal for Information to Patients
The current EU legislation regarding the prohibition of advertising on prescription-only medicines should not be relaxed in any way.
A clear distinction must be made between 3 types of information, namely: Information to Patients, Information on Medicines and Health Information areas.
Healthcare professionals should remain the primary source of health information.
The skills of patients need to be built up to evaluate the information about available medicines.
The right to access objective information about health, medical conditions and best available treatments should be a fundamental principle of medicinal information.
Any EU action on provision of medicinal information should not contribute to an increase in the existing health inequalities.
The subject and its discussion should be ’owned and led’ by DG SANCO, as it has the responsibility for health protection and promotion.
EPHA strongly believes that this proposal would undermine the spirit of the existing article 88a of Directive 2001/83/EC which bans advertising of prescription only medicines directly to the patient/consumer. We urge the Commission to reconsider its approach and the implications that any liberalisation of existing rules will have on demand, supply and sustainability and patient safety within healthcare systems.
EPHA calls on the European Commission, the Member States and the European Parliament to put health first in its proposals on health information.
Please find the final EPHA position paper on ’Information to Patients’ available here.
EPHA Members Consultation Responses on ’Information to Patients’
Royal College of Nursing UK (RCN)
Health Action International (HAI) Europe
European Heart Network
EPHA related articles:
EPHA response to the Pharma Forum consultation on information to patients
The European Pharmaceutical Forum: discussing provision of information to patients on medicinal products
Patients want and need results of clinical trials
*Updated* EPHA Consultation Response on "Information to Patients"
