EGA Press Release

Wednesday, 21 November 2007

EGA ELECTS ERIC GORKA AS PRESIDENT: FOCUS WILL BE ON SPEEDING
NEW MEDICINES TO MARKET

The European Generic medicines Association (EGA) has elected Eric Gorka, Head Commercial Operations EMEA for Sandoz International, as its new president.

In his acceptance speech, Mr Gorka said his main priority for the two-year term would be to speed up the process of getting new, affordable medicines to the patients who need them — both generic and biosimilar medicines.

Mr Gorka, who has already served for several years as vice-president of the EGA, the official representative body of the European generic pharmaceutical industry, was elected at a meeting of the EGA Board of Directors on Wednesday, November 21, in Brussels. He succeeds Emile Loof, President of Pharmachemie/TEVA of the Netherlands, who has served in the position since 2004.

Accepting his nomination, Mr Gorka said: “The generic medicines industry, in Europe and elsewhere, is already playing a major role in increasing access to medicines and stabilising healthcare systems, by lowering costs, promoting competition and freeing up funds for the use of new and innovative medicines where they are really needed. The first part of my job will be, quite simply, to build on this very real success.

“The second, and more challenging, part will be to address the key issues that currently stand in the way of further progress — in particular, the lack of resources that still causes our industry major delays in registration and thus in getting new medicines to market, as well as the question of timely reimbursement.”

Mr Gorka called for intensified cooperation with the relevant authorities and other key stakeholders, in particular the European Union institutions, European consumer and patient organisations and health insurance bodies — in order to focus the attention of all on removing ‘unnecessary roadblocks’.

One key current issue is how to speed up market access for biosimilar medicines — approved versions of existing biopharmaceutical medicines whose patents have expired. By 2010, it is estimated that 50% of newly approved medicines will be biopharmaceuticals, and the next decade will also see a large number of existing biopharmaceuticals facing patent expiry.

He commended the European Union for the leading role it was playing in this field, with the first such medicines already on the market thanks to the creation of a new and ground-breaking legal framework.

In a related development, the EGA will tonight launch its new reference guide, the EGA Handbook on Biosimilar Medicines. The handbook is intended as an easy-to-use information source for everyone who needs to understand what these new medicines are, why their importance is growing and what benefits they really provide.

It addresses the science and technology behind biosimilar medicines, how they are produced and regulated, terminology and other key questions, as well as the current situation in the EU and likely future developments. The launch will take place at:

Résidence Palace — Polak Room, rue de la Loi 155, 1040 Brussels, starting at 18.30.

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