‘We manufacture medicines in Italia, but they reach Chinese patients first’
The report by the German giant highlights the delays in accessing treatment: on average, over 400 days in Italia following European approval, compared with 56 in Germany
‘Twenty-five years ago, one in two new medicines was developed in Europe, whereas today that figure has fallen to around one in five. Here in Europe, over the last decade, the proportion of industry-sponsored clinical trials has fallen from 22 per cent to 12 per cent, whilst China has seen its share rise from 8 per cent to 29 per cent.” So says Shashank Deshpande, CEO of Boehringer Ingelheim, a multinational biopharmaceutical company active in human and animal health with around 54,300 employees in over 130 markets and a turnover of 27.8 billion euros. But beyond the figures lies a systemic view that highlights Europe’s difficulties in keeping pace within a broader global landscape. “Europe’s mistake has been to view health, innovation, affordability and competitiveness as separate objectives, rather than recognising them as part of a single system,” says Deshpande.
What is the critical issue?
For Europe, this is linked to the speed of access: on average, European patients receive innovative medicines five months later than their US counterparts. The approval of new medicines is delayed by around 146 days and, whilst fast-track approval routes are becoming increasingly common in other parts of the world, such procedures are becoming increasingly rare in Europe.
Where did the Old Continent go wrong?
We have exceptional talent and a solid industrial base. The challenge is to translate scientific excellence into clinical research, investment and access for patients with sufficient speed. There is a striking paradox: a medicine developed with the contribution of Italian research and manufactured in Italia reaches a Chinese patient before it reaches an Italian patient.
