Shaping the EU pharmaceutical legislation for patients – EPF to release advocacy toolkit for members

EPF has been involved in revising the EU pharmaceutical legislation from the start, as the revision will significantly impact patient communities. The rules governing the authorisation of medicines affect patient involvement in the regulatory process, research and development, and access to medicines, including shortages. It is therefore crucial to ensure that the patients’ voice is heard and that the revised rules work for patients.

We advocate for medicines that meet patients' needs, improved patient access to medicines, and greater patient involvement in the regulatory process. For a comprehensive outline of a patient-centred revision of the legislation, please refer to our position paper. We further created ad-hoc taskforces to develop two position papers on aspects of the review that are crucial to the communities we represent. These aspects include defining unmet medical needs in collaboration with patients and safeguarding access to medicines for paediatric patients.

The European Parliament and the Council of the EU are currently negotiating the revised rules, with the Parliament aiming to adopt a position before the European elections in June 2024. EPF is closely following these discussions at EU level and is now mobilising its members to get the message across at national level. The role of our member organisations is crucial in ensuring that our priorities resonate with Member States.

If you are interested in joining our advocacy campaign on the revision, please contact us at policy@eu-patient.eu