Overview

This policy brief is one of a series on addressing market and policy failures in the pharmaceutical sector that was prepared for the Austrian EU Presidency. It explores the most frequently applied policies for new high-priced medicines as well as some alternative approaches. In each case, the strengths and limitations are assessed and options for improvement are studied.

The brief shows that the lack of transparency on ‘real’ prices and development costs for medicines is a key limitation to many policies and argues that improving transparency and cooperation, both within countries and among EU Member States, is the way forward.