Brussels, 16 September 2014  

Joint open letter to President Juncker by 28 organisations. Promoting profit over public health puts European citizens at risk. No, medicinal products are not just a commodity like any other.

> Click here to download the joint open letter (pdf, 613 Ko)

Joint open letter

To: Jean-Claude Juncker, President-elect of the European Commission

CC: Paola Testori Coggi, Director General of DG Health and Consumers, Daniel Calleja Crespo, Director-General of DG Enterprise and Industry Ministers of Health of the European Union Member States Members of the IMCO, ITRE, and ENVI Committee

Re: Open Letter to President-elect Jean-Claude Juncker on move of medicinal products and health technologies to the portfolio of the Commissioner for internal market and industry

Dear Mr. President-elect,

We are writing to express our astonishment and concern regarding your decision to move the competence for medicinal products and health technologies from the Commissioner in charge of Health to the Commissioner in charge of internal market and industry within the new Commission.

The economic crisis, the ageing of the population, technological advances, and new health threats, including environmental pollution, are all challenging the sustainability of European health systems, and health inequalities between and within European Union (EU) Member States are increasing.

The European Commission, as the guardian of the Treaty, plays an important role in "ensur[ing] a high level of human health protection". This necessitates an unwavering vision for public health, along with consistent and coherent policymaking to support it.

People living in Europe have the right to high quality, safe, affordable and effective treatments. Pharmaceuticals and medical devices are not - and should not - be considered as any other internal market product because they safeguard people’s health.

The main driver of EU policies concerning pharmaceuticals and health technologies should be promoting and protecting health and patient safety. The Commissioner for Industry and Internal market, however, is mandated to promote the competitiveness of the industry and the European economy. This distinction is an important one to make with delicate issues, such as information to patients and medicine pricing, where the needs of patients can be in conflict with the interests of industry. The shift you are proposing sends the wrong signal to European citizens and patients – namely that economic interests come before their health. This is not the sort of signal the EU wants to send.

In 2009, responsibility for medicines and medical devices were moved into the hands of the health Commissioner to harmonize pharmaceutical governance within Member States and facilitate emergency preparedness. Returning them to the Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry is unjustified and represents a major step back.

Please reconsider this decision – we believe that medicinal products and health technology belong under the responsibility of the Commissioner for health.

We urge you to show bold leadership and to put health interests first.

Yours Sincerely, 

Signatories, in alphabetic order:

AGE Platform Europe
AIM   
BEUC   
Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO)   
Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME)   
European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP)
European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG)   
Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECL)
European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients’ Associations (EFA)
European Health Management Association (EHMA)   
European Heart Network (EHN)   
European Liver Patients Association (ELPA)
European Medical Students’ Association (EMSA)
European Patients Forum (EPF)
EPHA   
European Social Insurance Platform (ESIP)
Health Action International (HAI)   
Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL)   
HOPE, the European Hospital and Healthcare Federation  
International Diabetes Federation (IDF)   
International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA)   
International Society of Drug Bulletins (ISDB)  
Medicines in Europe Forum (MiEF)   
Nordic Cochrane Centre   
PGEU   
Smoke Free Partners (SFP)  
Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM)   
European Union of Medical Specialists (Union Européenne des Médecins Spécialistes - UEMS) 

©Prescrire 16 September 2014

> Click here to download the joint open letter (pdf, 613 Ko)