Paves the way to improve patients’ access to innovative medicines
The Cyprus Association of Research and Development Pharmaceutical Companies (KEFEA) welcomes the vote on the NHS bill by the House of Representatives Plenum.
This is an important moment for the Republic of Cyprus and its citizens. The law’s approval paves the way to start implementing a system that needs to improve the current situation, eradicating inequalities that exist today between the private and public sector.
One of the most important issues the NHS will have to deal with is ensuring patients’ access to medicines, which unfortunately is a black spot in the healthcare available in Cyprus today. Patients currently do not have access to all the treatments and even when this is possible, there are so many restrictions that it eventually becomes extremely difficult. It is therefore imperative that the new system allows patients to access all medicines, incorporates European practices and directives, and does not disregard the physicians’ right to prescribe the medicines they feel are most suitable to treat their patient.
To this end, KEFEA will continue its close cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Health Insurance Organisation (HIO), with the aim of ensuring the new system substantively upgrades patients’ access to innovative, effective and safe treatments. At the same time, KEFEA considers the submission and discussion at the House of Representatives of the relevant regulations (that have been prepared, or will be prepared), by the HIO as important, as when they are passed they will significantly boost transparency and credibility, and ensure broader acceptance during their implementation.
KEFEA was founded in 2006 and represents the innovative pharmaceutical industry in Cyprus as a member of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). Its members are the companies Amgen, ΑstraZeneca, Astellas, BMS, Genesis Pharma, GSK, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer and Sanofi.