INTERVIEW WITH MEP ANTONYIA PARVANOVA (ALDE, BULGARIA) : PRICES OF MEDICINES: 'SOME PROPOSALS ARE DISPROPORTIONATE'.

• Position: Interview

Members of the European Parliament's Committee on the Environment and Public Health (ENVI) made significant changes, on 18 December 2012, to the draft directive on the transparency of measures governing decisions on the pricing of medicines. The rapporteur, Antonyia Parvanova (ALDE, Bulgaria), explains that this is justified by the need to take account of the situation of member states' competent authorities.

The main innovation in the reform proposed by the Commission is the shortening of time limits for pricing decisions. By voting to maintain the existing time limits, what is left of the proposal? Was a revision even necessary?

The ENVI committee maintains the 180-day limit [90 for pricing plus 90 for reimbursement decisions, compared with 60 plus 60 proposed by the EU executive - Ed] for innovative medicines, but adds new elements to facilitate effective and practical implementation of these deadlines. The goal is to have a realistic common framework that can be complied with in the Union on time limits...