[e-drug] Medicines for Europe and the World: Setting Priorities, Missing the Point

E-DRUG: Meds for Europe and the World: Setting Priorities, Missing the Point
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Health Action International (HAI) Europe is pleased to invite you to a
meeting Medicines for Europe and the World: Setting Priorities, Missing
the Point, to be held in The Hague on the morning of 18 November.

HAI Europe and representatives of partner organisations will detail
their concerns about the process and driving purpose of the Dutch
Presidency-sponsored conference on Priority Medicines for the Citizens
of Europe, which begins later the same day.

HAI Europe believes strongly that the Priority Medicines project misses
the point in two key areas:

1. Medicines for Europe: too much trust is placed in the
pharmaceutical industry as a generator of valuable new medicines. In
reality, the industry does not offer value for money in its research,
has shown itself to be rarely innovative and resorts to dubious
promotional practices to disguise its lack of innovation.

2. Medicines for the World: tackling shortfalls in research and
development in neglected diseases which affect millions across the world
is conspicuous in its absence from the Priority Medicines agenda - the
Dutch Presidency and the wider EU have to indicate how they will be
addressing this issue, if it is not through the Priority Medicines
initiative

The draft agenda for the meeting is attached. The meeting will take
place in the Anton Phillip Zaal, Lucent Theatre, a short distance from
the Nieuwe Kerk, where the Dutch Presidency meeting will take place.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any queries. We very
much hope to see you on 18 November.

Jeremy Smith

Campaigns Coordinator
Health Action International Europe
Jacob van Lennepkade 334-T
1053 NJ Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 20 489 1864
Fax: +31 20 685 5002
email: jeremy@haiweb.org

[E-drug cannot carry attachments; send an email to jeremy@haiweb.org for the programme if you are interested; WB]