EU Drugmakers Urge Fast Policy Reform to Stop R&D Flight
European pharmaceutical leaders are calling for urgent policy reforms to address declining R&D investment and regulatory delays that threaten the region's…
Atlas Newsdesk ·
Major European pharmaceutical firms have formally requested that national leaders reclassify medical development as strategic infrastructure. This initiative follows a significant decline in the region's share of global research and development, which has dropped from 43% in 1990 to 31% today.
Industry data indicates that Europe’s share of global clinical trials has halved over the last decade, falling to 9%. Conversely, investment in the United States and China has surged, with over $600 billion in new pharmaceutical capital allocated to those regions within the past two years.
Regulatory delays and fragmented market access remain critical barriers to regional competitiveness. Nearly half of newly approved therapies failed to reach European patients last year, with average approval times reaching approximately 600 days.
Industry leaders argue that addressing these systemic inefficiencies could generate €53 billion in economic value and create 82,000 jobs. The sector is now seeking policy alignment to secure health sovereignty and prevent further erosion of its industrial base.