Medicines and Treatment

The EU is strongly committed to ensuring a high level of protection, competitiveness and innovation in the field of public health. In the context of medicines and treatment, key objectives are to:

• guarantee access to affordable medicines
• ensure that medicines are safe and effective
• improve the quality and dissemination of information, so citizens can make informed choices .

The Pharmaceutical Forum is a platform for high-level political discussion with expert working groups. It develops recommendations and exchanges best practice with a view to:

• improving cooperation between the pharmaceutical industry, healthcare stakeholders and EU countries
• strengthening the contributions to social and public health objectives
• improving the competitiveness of the pharmaceutical industry.

Other EU activities include:

• promoting research and the development of innovative therapies
• ensuring the free movement of medicines on the EU market
• identifying critical scientific gaps and assemble a research agenda
• authorising and monitoring medicinal products available on the market
• working with the European Medicines Agency, which advises EU countries on the quality, safety and efficacy of medicinal products
• working to improve access to essential medicines in developing countries.

Links to the EU activities

Public health
- Scientific advice on consumer safety, environmental risks and emerging health risks
  Independent advice to help the Commission prepare policies and proposals
- European Medicine Agency
  EMA coordination, evaluation and supervision of medicinal products throughout the EU

Pharmaceuticals and devices
- Pharmaceuticals
  EU laws for authorising and marketing medicinal products in the EU
- Pharmaceutical Forum
  High-level political platform aimed at improving the performance of the pharmaceutical industry in terms of competitiveness and contribution to social and public health objectives
- Medical devices sector
  EU laws on market access, international trade relations and the competitiveness of the medical devices sector

Access to medicines
- Access to essential medicines
  EU policy to make medicines more affordable, especially for poor countries

Transfusion and transplantation
- Blood, Tissues, Cells and Organs
  Community actions regarding risks for the recipients, in particular the transmission of communicable diseases

Information on medicines
- EudraPharm – the European medicines database
  EudraPharm is a public database designed to facilitate access to information on all medicines authorised for use in the European Union

EC Health Indicators
- European Community Health Indicators (ECHI)
  Information and data on issues related to health treatment

European Health Information
- MRI units, CT scanners
  Data on the number of MRI units and CT scanners in the EU
- Average length of stay (ALOS)
- GP utilisation
  Indicator for the use of medical services

Statistics
- Hospital activity data system
  Overview of public health and general healthcare provision

Research
- European Platform on Innovative Medicines
  This website provides information on EU research initiatives to boost the development of new medicines
- Combating major diseases
  EU research into genomics and biotechnology for health
- Nanotechnologies and nanosciences
  Developments brought about by research into nanotechnology
- European and developing countries - clinical trial partnership
  EU initiatives to develop new medical products to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in poor countries

European Commission
Health-EU. The Public Health Portal of the European Union

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