Editorial: Drug cost and the rules of engagement
This article was originally published in Scrip
Executive Summary
As I write, European Parliamentarians are limbering up for a debate on access to medicines in the EU. The Greens/European Free Alliance are arguing that it is a scandal not only that some patients cannot afford life-saving medicines because of their "astronomical prices", but also that the European Commission and EU governments are failing to act by "tackling the issue of monopolies and abuse of market position". This viewpoint is expected to set the tone for a debate in which the pharma industry is the villain.