The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 272 No 7303 p728
12 June 2004

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Association of the European Self-Medication Industry: reports (more)

EC targets price and class for harmonisation

Medicines should cost the same and have the same legal classification throughout Europe, according to the European Commission.

Erkki Liikanen, European Commissioner for Enterprise and Innovation, told the AESGP meeting: “We want to integrate further the market in self-medication products.”

Mr Liikanen said that the different legal classification of medicines in different member states of the European Community was a problem for the pharmaceutical industry. “We need greater consistency in the interests of the single European market.”

Mr Liikanen pointed out that different national decisions were made from the same rules.

The commission also wants to see price controls removed from medicines. Mr Liikanen said: “We are looking forward to constructive input on the issue of pricing regulation is some states.”

Earlier, Irene Sacristán Sánchez, from the commission’s enterprise directorate, said that the commission had wanted to include the legal status of medicines in this year’s revised mutual recognition procedures.

The Journal’s attendance at the Association of the European Self-Medication Industry annual meeting in Madrid from 2 to 4 June was made possible by the Proprietary Association of Great Britain