In an effort to change the way people can access effective, novel, high-cost medicines, WHO/Europe’s Novel Medicines Platform (NMP) has convened its first working group, focusing on the theme of solidarity.
“Solidarity between countries and between stakeholders is our guiding principle. Today far too many people across our Region cannot access the medicines they need, and far too often this is because the calls for solidarity haven’t sounded loud enough. We need solidarity now more than ever,” emphasized Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat, Director of WHO/Europe’s Division of Country Health Policies and Systems, at the launch meeting held in Prague in October.
The NMP is a new initiative of WHO/Europe that aims to identify specific measures that can improve patients’ access to these often prohibitively expensive treatments. To achieve this, the initiative has set up 4 working groups that focus on: transparency, solidarity, sustainability and addressing novel antimicrobials.
In line with the European Programme of Work, 2020–2025, Working Group 2 (WG2) is dedicated to strengthening voluntary partnerships that prioritize solidarity in ensuring patient access to medicines. This includes activities related to generating evidence, consolidating demand and devising procurement strategies.
Expanding focus beyond European Union countries
Chaired by Jakub Dvořáček, the Deputy Minister of Health in Czechia, and with Yann le Cam, Chief Executive Officer of Rare Diseases Europe (EURORDIS) and Neil Mulcock of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) as vice-chairs, the meeting brought together a diverse group of stakeholders from 12 countries, as well as 3 patient organizations, 6 partners and 5 industry organizations.
While there are numerous activities and initiatives in the WHO European Region related to patient access to medicines, participants recognized the need for a more substantial focus on non-European Union countries. These countries often face unique challenges in accessing high-cost medicines, and addressing their specific needs is vital for achieving equitable access.
“Current market dynamics are not meeting the needs of patients – especially those from smaller countries. We want to change that. We have a unique opportunity through the Novel Medicines Platform working group,” highlighted Mr Dvořáček.
Strengthening collaboration and sharing expertise
One of the central themes of the meeting was the importance of fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing among different entities and across various stakeholders. By pooling resources, expertise and experiences, stakeholders can better address the challenges associated with accessing high-cost medicines. This collaboration will also help align processes throughout the lifecycle of medicines, particularly after conditional regulatory approval. This alignment can inform health technology assessment agencies and payers, promoting more effective decision-making.
Participants also emphasized the value of conducting demonstration projects as a means of accelerating the learning process. These projects can facilitate the exchange of knowledge and provide real-world evidence of the benefits of solidarity.
“This first meeting of the NMP’s Working Group 2 demonstrated real solidarity, including Member States across Europe and different stakeholders, sharing novel approaches to evidence generation, which laid the foundation for discussion of potential demonstration projects that could implement best practices and drive better patient care,” said Karen Facey, Visiting Senior Research Fellow, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
About the NMP
The NMP was created at the 72nd session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe in September 2022 to build on the achievements of its predecessor, the Oslo Medicines Initiative (2020–2022).
With the NMP, WHO/Europe acts as a neutral convenor, host and facilitator by creating a formal stakeholder collaboration platform to improve people’s access to novel medicines. The aim of the Platform is to identify concrete actions, including pilot proposals, to improve affordable and equitable patient access to effective, novel, high-cost medicines in the Region.