European Technology Platform on Innovative Medicines

The European pharmaceutical industry is seriously lagging behind its competitors, mainly in the US, and seems to be particularly slow in harnessing the benefits of the revolution in biotechnology, as evidenced by the growing numbers of biotechnology corporations on the far side of the Atlantic as well as the movement of infrastructure and personnel from Europe across the Atlantic to better opportunities that are unavailable in Europe. The Technology Platform for Innovative Medicines for European citizens is proposed as an integral part of the European Commission proposals for the Seventh Framework Programme (2007-2013) and aims to redress this imbalance. It is aimed at enhancing and accelerating the development process of medicines, including those derived from biotechnology, so as to ensure the most rapid application of scientific breakthroughs into approved new medicines. This will be achieved by stimulating integrated forms of co-operation in research and development, in particular through reinforced public-private partnerships, with a view to providing the European population with early access to new, more targeted medicines, while at the same time, strengthening the European science base and fostering economic growth in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.