European pharmaceutical industry leaders have called on EU and national governments to increase investment in innovative medicines, strengthen the region’s competitiveness and improve patient access to new treatments. They argue that Europe’s pharmaceutical sector has historically been a major contributor to scientific research, healthcare outcomes, employment and economic growth, but is increasingly losing ground to the US and China.

The statement highlights a decline in Europe’s share of global pharmaceutical R&D from 43 percent in 1990 to 31 percent today, while its share of global commercial clinical trials has fallen to 9 percent. The authors also point to delayed or limited access to medicines, noting that around 40 percent of newly approved therapies do not reach European patients and that patients who do receive them wait nearly 600 days.

The industry leaders attribute Europe’s declining competitiveness partly to restrictive healthcare budgets, slow assessment and funding processes, inadequate recognition of the broader economic value of innovative medicines, and insufficient incentives for pharmaceutical investment. They emphasise that developing a new medicine typically requires more than a decade and around Euro 3 billion in investment, with only a small proportion of drug candidates ultimately reaching patients.

They call for EU-level measures to accelerate clinical trials, strengthen intellectual-property protection, support digital policies and provide greater fiscal flexibility for countries investing in healthcare and innovative medicines. National governments, they argue, should increase healthcare investment, improve access and funding processes, and modernise healthcare systems.

The statement estimates that closing Europe’s clinical-trial investment gap with the US and China could unlock Euro 53 billion in economic value and 82,000 jobs. Overall, the authors urge policymakers to treat medicines and healthcare as strategic assets and invest in innovation to strengthen Europe’s health systems, economic resilience and global pharmaceutical competitiveness.