Efpia, the federation that represents pharmaceutical companies in Europe, has deferred comment on President Donald Trump’s executive order on 12 May which is intended to lower the prices of prescription drugs in the US. The order would introduce the Most Favoured Nation policy to drugs. This is a principle of the World Trade Organization under which all nations treat their trading partners equally. In the context of the Trump order, it is being interpreted to mean that US drug prices would be tied to those set in other countries. Currently, US patients pay nine times more than their European counterparts for certain medicines. Apart from issuing an executive order, the President has not yet outlined how this policy would be introduced.
In a statement issued after the US order was released, the Efpia Director General Nathalie Moll said that it was too early to comment on the implications for the EU until the scope and mechanisms of the order become clearer.
“Europe’s immediate focus should be to secure the future of its pharmaceutical industry, a key strategic sector that is central to the region’s health and economic security. That means taking urgent action to retain, sustain and develop Europe’s life sciences ecosystem and invest in putting Europeans at the forefront of patient care,” she said.
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