The industry has been complaining about the drug pricing and reimbursement policies of European governments for years, but only now with the Trump administration’s moves to enforce most favored nation (MFN) pricing and reduce the U.S./EU price gap are governments facing up to the reality that they will have to pay more for new drugs.
The European Commission has proposed legislation that would ease some of the EU’s barriers to innovation, but MedTech Europe said that while the European Innovation Act would be helpful, it is no substitute for fixing what’s already ailing the EU med-tech industry.
The European Commission is seeking feedback from stakeholders on the oversight of high-risk AI products, one objective of which is to develop a series of guidelines for classification of high-risk AI systems – a consideration of great interest to med-tech firms doing business in the EU.
The European Association of Medical Device Notified Bodies inked a position paper on the EU Artificial Intelligence Act which recites some standing concerns. Perhaps the most interesting passage in the paper is that there is a need for a “well-coordinated approach between member states that are in charge of notified body oversight.”
The European Association of Medical Device Notified Bodies, also known as Team NB, has proposed the issuance of a conditional CE certificate for medical devices and in vitro diagnostics, a concept said to have existed in the legacy regulations as well. The question for industry is whether this mechanism can be used to aid in the backlog of devices under the Medical Device Regulation (MDR), a problem that is still front and center in the EU eight years after passage of the index legislation.
For the pharmaceutical industry caught in the crosshairs of a potential trade war, the consequences of U.S. tariffs on China or Europe remain largely speculative, although both would be detrimental, according to a Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization (KoreaBIO) issue briefing Feb. 7.
For the pharmaceutical industry caught in the crosshairs of a potential trade war, the consequences of U.S. tariffs on China or Europe remain largely speculative, although both would be detrimental, according to a Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization (KoreaBIO) issue briefing Feb. 7.
The EU has moved aggressively on legislation in recent years, with the AI Liability Directive serving as the latest example of legislation that sparked widespread opposition.
The U.K.’s new postmarket monitoring requirements do not represent a sea change in device makers’ responsibilities in this area, but the expansions of responsibility are nonetheless significant.
Device makers know all too well the hazards of liability where their products are concerned, but those liabilities may soon balloon dramatically in the EU. Two pieces of EU legislation are in development, including the AI Liability Directive, which may have the effect of forcing the defendant in a liability case to prove that its product was not the cause of the alleged harm.
