ACCESS TO INNOVATIVE THERAPIES

June, 17, 2015

ACCESS TO INNOVATIVE THERAPIES

There are multiple explanations to inequity on access, multiple views as to what constitutes a priority in healthcare, and multiple perceptions of what qualifies as an innovation. Together among this multiplicity of ideas, there is a clear need for an improved approach to enhance patient access to the best innovation that medical technology has to offer. A first step in connecting the dots is the development of a tool that would assist in identifying and prioritising the areas of health where EU collaboration could be appropriate to reduce health inequalities between and within Member States.

The Sub-Committee on Access to Innovative Therapies has developed a “matrix” approach designed to define the level of EU intervention required to enhance the access of innovative therapies across Europe. This tool could be used to assess current and future EU policies or to support the development of an EU budget in the field of health. By assessing the medical unmet need and the access issues, the matrix identifies where national and where European integration on a specific disease area may be most appropriate.

Based on this initial research, the further development of improved access for patients and a reduction of unnecessary barriers are envisaged through a three-step approach, including concrete actions at both EU and Member State level.

1. UNDERSTAND: Creation of a European Access Observatory (EAO) to annually assess the uptake of new products and therapeutic alternatives in Member States.
2. MAXIMISE: Leverage valuable EU initiatives to address the existing barriers to access.
3. ANTICIPATE: Development, in collaboration with healthcare stakeholders and policymakers, an EU-level analytical tool to support the prioritisation and decision-making specifically focused on addressing access questions in health policies

Read the EHP report on ‘access to therapeutic innovation’