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UNTIL 13:00 CET, 03-12-10

Press release

Improving health equality across Europe:

‘Health for All’ needs a Partnership Approach
Brussels, 3 December 2010: Addressing health inequalities across Europe is a key
challenge for improving care for patients. There is wide variability between Member States
in the speed with which valuable innovative medicines become available to patients;
and then further variability in uptake of medicines between countries and between
disease areas. Andrew Witty, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline and President of EFPIA, told a
conference in Brussels today that the pharmaceutical industry and policymakers need to
work together so that all patients are able to receive the right treatments.

Speaking alongside John Dalli, the EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, at
the “21st Century Healthcare for Europe” conference, Mr Witty recognised the challenges
facing Governments during the current financial situation and argued for a partnership
approach. “Valuable innovation transforms lives. Health for all must be achieved
collaboratively at local, national and European level. ‟All for health‟ should be the key
enabler - the more institutions work together in a trusting environment, the more likely the
right approaches can be developed”.

Mr Witty recognised the responsibilities of industry. “Industry must deliver new medicines
and vaccines that address unmet patient need and have demonstrable value. This means
getting R&D right – reversing the decline in productivity, improving success rates for
regulatory approval, and delivering medicines that add more than incrementally to a
physician‟s capabilities. The pharmaceutical industry is hugely innovative. If governments
work to support innovation, the industry will deliver the next era of revolutionary medicine.”

He added: “We must create the right policy and regulatory framework in Europe. This
requires effective prevention and wellness programmes. We must shift focus from cost to
value, and set a strategic agenda that addresses unmet need, outlines clear disease
priorities and allows shared understandings of value.”

“Ultimately, this is about improving the lives of citizens and patients – putting patients at the
heart of decision-making. They should be empowered to make informed choices about
access, allocation of funding and assessments of value.”

“In this challenging climate, it is vital to achieve the best results for patients across the
European Union, for public budgets and for industry. This requires an equilibrium between
the needs of different players, with patients put first. The industry is ready to play its part.
We look to Member States and others to do likewise.„

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Contact
Useful links
Colin Mackay, Tel: (+32) 2 626 25 71
www.efpia.eu
E-mail: colinmackay@efpia.org

Leopold Plaza Building T +32 2 626 25 55

European Federation of Pharmaceutical
Rue du Trône 108 Boîte 1 F +32 2 626 25 66
Industries and Associations
B-1050 Bruxelles www.efpia.eu
 About EFPIA: EFPIA represents the pharmaceutical industry operating in Europe. Through its
direct membership of 31 national associations and 40 leading pharmaceutical
companies, EFPIA provides the voice of 2,200 companies committed to researching,
developing and bringing new medicines to improve health and quality of life around the
world.

EFPIA member are committed to delivering innovative medicines to address unmet needs
of patients and reducing the burden of chronic diseases for Europe’s ageing population.
EFPIA believes in close cooperation with its stakeholders to help create sustainable
healthcare systems and to develop prompt responses to health threats in Europe.

The pharmaceutical sector directly employs some 635,000 people in Europe including
117,000 working in research and development. The industry also generates around three
to four times more employment both upstream and downstream.

Europe’s research-based pharmaceutical industry generates a substantial trade surplus,

estimated at about €48,000 million in 2008, and has contributed significantly to reducing
the European Union’s trade deficit in high-tech products. Almost a quarter of the EU’s
high-tech exports are pharmaceutical products.

Fédération Européenne d’Associations et Leopold Plaza Building T +32 2 626 25 55

d’Industries Pharmaceutiques Rue du Trône 108 Boîte 1 F +32 2 626 25 66
B-1050 Bruxelles www.efpia.eu