Chairman's Editorial
AGIPHARM, gathers all the leading American pharmaceutical research groups, aiming to develop the best means of protecting and promoting research and development to achieve progress in healthcare. Each one of its members is a committed and responsible player within the healthcare and social protection system that is unanimously recognised as being effective, but which needs to be improved further:
First, through a medical policy that is designed to foster innovation. AGIPHARM wants new medication to be evaluated fairly and quickly and compensated in line with the therapeutic progress they bring about. In this way, the virtuous circle of research can be maintained: new diseases are treated with the best possible ways and innovative products are recognised at their true value.
AGIPHARM also highlights the need to make administrative procedures more effective and above all faster. Once an effective treatment is available, patients must be able to benefit from it quickly. Solutions exist. Indeed, AGIPHARM is making proposals in this respect, for instance by extending fast track procedure and supporting Transparency Committee to anticipate evaluation.
Finally, to revitalise investment in France, our association is campaigning for a stable environment and better visibility. Over the last few years, despite the signature of framework agreements between the State and the industry, our sector's specific tax system has not stopped changing to become increasingly complex. Who would agree to see game's rules constantly changing when they are theoretically set? We supported the creation of the Strategic Committee for Health Industries, which has been set up by the government, and we hope that the concrete results of its work will be implemented soon in order to reassure investors by offering them visibility.
The correct use of medication and treatments as well as better information for patients must be encouraged. It is important to correctly assess the position of medication, evaluate its impact in terms of public health: life expectancy, quality of life, lives saved, hospitalisations avoided, as well as on an economic level: growth, investment, employment, reduction of sick leaves, research, training, etc.
Medication must be, after all, considered based on its true value as an investment for health and as one of the main factors to improve quality of life and life expectancy.
