Encouraging pharmaceutical companies to distribute their latest medicines to smaller countries at an affordable price isn't easy, as the executive chairperson of the Malta Medicines Authority explains.
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00:00 In this building, the Malta Medicines Authority works to protect and enhance public health
00:06 through the regulation of medicinal products and pharmaceutical activities.
00:10 In this interview, Executive Chairperson Professor Anthony Serachino-Englot talks about the challenges
00:16 small countries face ensuring proper access to medicines and possible solutions for the
00:21 future.
00:25 There is a tendency for the industry in certain areas to go for a smaller market at a high
00:32 price.
00:34 So you sell a medicine at a very high price to a lesser number of people rather than selling
00:40 the medicine to a larger number of people at a lower price.
00:44 Because that could be more attractive in an area where facilities, where transport, where
00:51 expenses are related to the amounts.
00:56 From an industrial, economical point of view, that could be more substantial sustainability
01:04 financially for the industry.
01:06 But you have to start thinking that innovative medicines should be made available, affordable
01:14 to all citizens in all countries.
01:17 And the way that it appears they are trying to achieve that through the new legislation
01:24 is by giving incentives to those medicines that are also at a reasonable, affordable
01:32 price.
01:33 It is clear now that the EU will put in these three pillars that we have seen for medicines
01:42 availability in Europe to be safe, effective and of good quality that we will be adding
01:49 another pillar which is essential and that is accessibility.
01:54 And therefore to put a drug on the European market it has not only to be safe, effective
02:00 and of good quality as a requirement for the marketing authorisation.
02:04 [Music]
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