PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY

Berlin  -  In the future the German entrepreneur Edwin Kohl will also represent his interests in Brussels. Together with other German parallel traders – Axicorp, CC Pharma and MPA/EMRA – Kohl has created a special interest group with the name “Costeff – Alliance for cost-efficiency in healthcare“.A few weeks ago, the presentation event took place.

The initiative, founded in July, with offices in Berlin and Brussels, has set itself the aim of promoting cost efficiency and innovation in European healthcare. In more concrete terms and translated into the entrepreneurial interests of the members, this means: affordable patented medicines (parallel imports), biosimilars & generic drugs, ambient assisted living (homecare/industrial blister packing).

Kohl does not keep his intentions secret: In order to position the concerns of the member firms, Costeff is to lobby at the European Commission, the Council of Ministers, the EU Parliament and other policy makers in Brussels and Strasbourg. Costeff’s sphere of action is ambitious and stretches from conducting symposiums to exerting influence on legislation amendments – for example, the introduction of the one-week blister pack.

In Brussels around 80 industry representatives and delegates followed up on the invitation from the union head, Kohl; the initiative was presented for one hour. As guest speaker, the German MEP Jo Leinen (social democrats) praised the initiative; Jerome Bôehm from the European Commission spoke about the challenges of the health system, but regarding Costeff he maintained a low profile.

Costeff advocates free movement of goods, fair competition in the health system and a uniform legal framework of the EU. Cost efficiency should be projected beyond pure economy measures and should promote innovation; ultimately these are two sides of the same coin, claimed Kohl. Parallel traders, manufacturers and logisticians, but also health authorities, and patient, doctor, clinic and pharmacist associations are invited to join Costeff.

Until now the existing members are represented in the union multiple times: directly as a company and via the trade association of parallel traders in Germany – which is in principle identically compiled. Kohl has even brought all of the subsidiaries into the union – 7x4, Assist, Avie, kohlpharma and MTK.

Patrick Hollstein, Mon, November 16, 2009 11:38am CET