Slovak Health Minister Ivan Uhliarik [in the photo on the right], called on pharmaceutical companies to stop deceiving people about the planned drug policy reform. Instead, they should care more about patients than their bottom line, he said at a news conference Thursday. Uhliarik at the same time believes that lawmakers must not succumb to pressure from drug company lobbyists. He and Prime Minister Iveta Radicova also faced such pressures while preparing reform measures, he said. Radicova recently said the pharmaceutical lobby was the "most pressing" she has faced in a long time. However, Uhliarik said he does not aspire to "lead" the deputies in any way. Rather, he will try to explain the proposed measures to them in a simple way.
The Minister stressed that the pharmaceutical industry is using the media to manipulate patients with "false and deceptive myths", just to protect their commercial interests. Uhliarik said that one of these false myths is that if there were stricter rules in the pricing policy for drugs, the Slovak market could face shortages of some products. Pharmaceutical companies warned recently that if drug prices in Slovakia were set at the second lowest tariff level in the European Union – which is one of the goals of the regulatory reform – 40-50% of supplies would also be exported as a result. According to Uhliarik, however, this scenario will not occur.
(Source TASR) from PS, June 10, 2011 – good morning Slovakia
Radicova: pressure from ambassadors in favor of pharmaceutical lobbies is unacceptable
The pressure Prime Minister Iveta Radicova has been under in the process of drafting a drug policy, Radicova herself said yesterday, has been the greatest since she took office in June 2010. She was referring to a letter from seven foreign ambassadors, representing countries with strong pharmaceutical companies. “I see this letter as pure lobbying by the ambassadors on behalf of the pharmaceutical companies. This goes beyond the scope of diplomacy and political decency," he said after the government session
