Citizens' and patients' associations are once again excluded from decision-making processes concerning drug policies. That's what he comments Active citizenship in the face of the news of the establishment of new advisory committees at Aifa, the Italian drug association, in which citizens/patients will not participate.
“Despite the promises, once again AIFA does not involve patients”. These are the statements of Tonino Aceti, manager of National coordination of the associations of chronically ill citizens of Cittadinanzattiva regarding the news of the establishment by AIFA of 6 new Advisory Committees and 4 support Secretariats aimed at strengthening the activity, and which do not envisage any involvement and participation of representatives of citizens' and patients' associations within them.
In fact, according to the information released by the Agency itself, the advisory committees will be made up of a maximum of seven members, selected from among the main Italian clinical experts in each indicated therapeutic area. “The composition of these new bodies really amazes us a lot given that just under a month has passed since the conference organized by Aifa with the theme as its object of patient interaction in drug regulatory policies. With this decision – concluded Tonino Aceti – AIFA continues to deviate from the European model of the EMA, which for a long time has instead guaranteed the participation of citizens/patients and their respective associations in the decision-making processes concerning the drug”.
01/03/2013 
