Lisbon, September 28, 2016 – Without the use of generic medicines, European countries would spend a hundred billion euros more per year to treat patients. This is one of the conclusions of the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics study on The Role of Generic Medicines in Sustaining Healthcare Systems: A European Perspective presented today in Portugal during the seminar “The Value of Generic Medicines”, organised by APOGEN.
The study concluded that by 2050 the European population aged over 65 will increase from 129 to 191 million, with a consequent increase in the incidence of chronic diseases and the corresponding impact on the health expense of states. Between 2005 and 2014, generic medicines made it possible for European countries to double the number of patients treated, whilst maintaining the same pharmaceutical budget.
The study Value of Generic Medicines – Health Economics Study conducted by IGES Institute for Medicines for Europe also presented, concludes also that with the use of generic medicines, it is possible to treat a considerably a greater number of patients suffering from hypertension maintaining the same levels of expenditure; treat as many patients with breast cancer with lower levels of expenditure and treat more patients suffering from depression, with a slight increase in expense.
The seminar was attended by national and international experts as Adrian van den Hoven, Medicines for Europe Director General, António Vaz Carneiro, Professor, Faculty of Medicine of Lisbon and Director of CEMBE, Carlos Gouveia Pinto, Associate Professor of ISEG, Hélder Mota Filipe, member of the Board of INFARMED, IP or Paul Lilaia, President of APOGEN.
“APOGEN’s mission is to disseminate the concepts of generic and biosimilar medicines, actively contributing to the development of this market segment in Portugal, making medicines more affordable, in a sustainable health system” says Paul Lilaia, President of APOGEN. “The presentation of these two studies concludes that generic medicines bring great benefits for patients and for European states to increase patient access to treatment and simultaneously decrease the expense of the states with medicines.”
Adrian van den Hoven, Medicines for Europe Director General highlighted that “IMS report confirms the efforts by generic manufacturers to invest to bring better access for patients and more sustainability to pharmaceutical markets in Portugal and across Europe. Over the last ten years, generic medicines have increased access to medicines by over 100% in 7 key therapeutic areas without increasing the overall treatment cost. Millions of European patients have benefited from better access to gold standard therapies, treating most acute and chronic ailments ranging from cardiovascular, to diabetes and even to cancer”.
Also worth noting that the generic medicines industry employs more than 160,000 people in Europe and generic medicines already represent today 56 percent of the medicines prescribed in Europe.