Public Pharma for Europe Coalition: a step towards health for all
Billions of people around the world lack access to medicines, vaccines, and other health technologies. Despite major public contributions, pharmaceutical development and production are largely controlled by the private sector, particularly large transnational corporations known as Big Pharma.
De Public Pharma for Europe (PPfE) Coalition was created to catalyse change in this scenario by advocating for and supporting public leadership and responsibility in establishing, continuing, and expanding public pharmaceutical infrastructures, policies, and governance mechanisms in Europe.
The group, which aims to promote the right to health globally, is composed of a wide range of networks, social movements, civil society organisations, not-for-profit organisations, patients, scientists, activists, and academics. It is based in Europe but seeks to operate within global solidarity networks working towards Public Pharma worldwide. Among the CSOs involved are Abundance (United Kingdom), BUKO Pharma-Kampagne (Germany), Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) (International), Health Action International (HAI) (Netherlands), Medico International (Germany), Medics for the People (MPLP/GVHV) (Belgium), Organization for Workers’ Initiative and Democratisation (BRID) (Croatia), People’s Health Movement (PHM) Europe, People’s Medicines Alliance (PMA) (International), Pharmaceutical Accountability Foundation (Netherlands), Pharma für Alle (Switzerland), Salud por Derecho (Spain), and Viva Salud (Belgium).
For more equal access to healthcare
The Coalition is steadfast in its argument that the current profit-driven pharmaceutical model is characterised by several dysfunctions that significantly hinder the global realisation of the right to health. These dysfunctions result in a lack of innovation, the private appropriation of public resources, shortages of essential health technologies, exorbitant medication prices, evidence-biased clinical trials, and distortions in drug prescriptions. They also deepen tensions and inequities between the Global North and the Global South.
Acknowledging that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these issues, the PPfE Coalition highlights the importance of recognising that they are longstanding systemic and structural problems that have harmed public health for decades. Therefore, the group asserts that increased public leadership and responsibility, including the establishment, continuation, and expansion of Public Pharma can serve as an antidote to Big Pharma’s abuses and better safeguard people’s health.
According to the PPfE Coalition, Public Pharma refers to the infrastructures, policies, and governance mechanisms dedicated to achieving the aforementioned objectives. It encompasses institutional arrangements where governments have genuine decision-making power and can establish governance driven by public interest. It does not include initiatives that use public resources, whether financial or human, to de-risk private enterprises.
A response to public health needs
“We defend that Public Pharma’s role should extend beyond just the initial phases of drug production, emergencies, or specific disease categories. Governments should take on their duty to enhance public health not just by minimising risks for private companies, but by actively participating in the research, development, production, and distribution of health technologies to address public health demands.”, concludes Alan Rossi Silva, Project Coordinator at the People’s Health Movement (PHM) and a coalition member.
To achieve this, the coalition relies on a combination of approaches, including raising awareness across every sector of society, mobilising collective political power to drive change and presenting concrete proposals to establish, continue, and expand Public Pharma in Europe.
Want to know more or join the Pharma Public for Europe Coalition?
