For the president of MSD Italia and Chairman of the IAPG it is impossible to responsibly plan activities if you are forced to undergo a maneuver every 60 days. The draft of the Balduzzi Decree, however, contains some "extremely dangerous" rules for the survival of the sector in Italy.
03 SEP – We publish the statements of Pierluigi Antonelli (in the photo), president of MSD Italia and chairman of the IAPG (Italian American Pharmaceutical Group), on the draft decree of the Minister of Health, Renato Balduzzi.
"The climate of temporariness and uncertainty with which the pharmaceutical sector is forced to live in our country is not sustainable".
In the last six months we have already undergone two maneuvers that have had a heavy impact on our sector: 1.8 billion euros only with Law 135/2012, which brings the contribution that the pharmaceutical industry has brought to the state coffers to 11 billion last five years. And the Balduzzi Decree would be the third manoeuvre.
How is it possible to responsibly plan the activities of a strategic sector for the country (the 16 companies gathered in the IAPG generate over 5 billion euros in turnover - 10% reinvested in Research & Development activities - and 1.3 billion euros in exports, with about 13,000 employees - the 40% of which in Research & Development and Production - and over 800 clinical trials) when we are forced to undergo a maneuver every 60 days? How can we convince our corporations that Italy is the country in which to attract or, at least, maintain investments in production and research if we don't even have the time to make all the overlapping penalizing measures understood and 'digested'?
The draft of the "Balduzzi Decree" – which should be discussed by the Council of Ministers on September 5th – contains some extremely dangerous rules for the survival of the sector in Italy.
We continue to use the instrument of the decree on matters that are certainly essential, but which no longer have the requirement of an urgent nature, without a transparent involvement and constructive dialogue with the sector. In the next 120 days, our sector risks being impacted by three heavy measures: on the one hand, a revision of the Prontuari
