Invitational Ministerial Summit:
The benefits of responsible use of medicines
Setting policies for better and cost effective healthcare
Medicines continue to have unprecedented positive effects on health, leading to reduced mortality, decreased disease severity and to improved quality of life. These advances, however, have come at substantial costs: pharmaceutical expenditures account for one fifth or more of all health spending in a number of countries, with medicines expenditures continuing to increase as part of overall increases in health care expenditures. Across OECD countries (high and middle income), health spending per capita since 2000 has increased more than twice as fast as economic growth on average, leading to questions about the sustainability of the system.
There is, however, significant ‘missed potential’ in the way medicines are used. For example, the right medicine does not always reach the right patient, nor do patients consistently receive correct dosages - some 50% of all patients fail to take their medicines correctly. Many diseases are thus not optimally treated, leading to negative outcomes for patients including more expensive interventions, higher social security expenses or lost economic potential due to the inability to contribute to the labour force. These negative outcomes stretch far beyond individual patients to affect health systems and society as a whole.
The Ministry of Health of the Netherlands is taking the lead to address this ‘missed potential’. A planned Ministers Summit will focus on practical solutions that make the use of medicines both more responsible and more cost-effective.
The Summit will focus on:
- Responsible use of medicines (the right medicine in a correct dose for the right patient at the right time)
- Unlocking the full potential of prescribers, pharmacists, nurses and other healthcare professionals
- Sharing and translation of best practices and experiences from countries with measurable successes
With the following outcomes
- Solutions for immediate action (quick wins): what policies can your Ministry implement now?
- Political-strategic agenda to get the most value from your current resources and medicines
- Roadmap for the future with a shared vision and ambition of the participating countries
This Summit will not be a onetime event, with the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Ireland will organize a follow up in 2013.
The objectives and outcomes of this Summit will be underpinned with the input from experts in the field and from relevant stake holders
To maintain a broad vision in this Summit, input from different sources will be brought to the table: stakeholder groups will be heard, a briefing paper provided and two technical reports from The World Health Organization and the IMS Institute presented.
Experts in the field
Experts from WHO and IMS, commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport of The Netherlands, will each provide the Summit with a Technical Report. The two reports will focus on new policy options, policies that have been proven effective and improve a responsible use of medicines. These reports will help to formulate practical measures, measures that are relevant and can be implemented across income levels from different countries.
A platform with all stakeholders present
Stakeholders present at the Summit will be from a wide range of disciplines, such as patient organizations, scientists, pharmaceutical industry, public health services and ICT-organizations. Also, at the Ministerial hearing in the morning session of the summit, the most relevant outcomes of the FIP High-Level Stakeholders Roundtables, taking place the day before the Summit, will be presented.
The Ministers Summit and the FIP Centennial
The Ministers Summit will be held in conjunction with the FIP Centennial. The FIP Centennial consists of a Congress gathering 5,000 Pharmacists and Pharmaceutical Scientists from over 80 countries, a World Exhibition on Medicines and High-Level Stakeholders Roundtables. These Roundtables will be examining the following issues: ”Right medicine to the right patient”, ”Adherence”, ”The Transformative Power of Shared Information” and “Innovation”.
News
Dutch Ministry supports Ministerial Summit at World Health Organization (WHO)
In late May, the Dutch Ministry of Health was present at the WHO World Health Assembly to support the rational use of medicines and the FIP Centennial Congress, set to incorporate a Ministerial Summit on the Responsible Use of Medicines. Read their statement below:
Statement:
Progress Report on the rational Use of medicines
Mr. Chairman,
The Netherlands are satisfied with the activities performed in the field of rational use of medicines, as being presented in the progress report.
Rational use of medicines is an essential element of health and pharmaceutical policy. It is of relevance to a multitude of health issues such as quality of care, the organization of care, the cost of care and the important area of anti microbial resistance.
The government of the Netherlands therefore attaches great importance to the issue and for that reason organized together with WHO a European workshop on improving information to patients in 2010.
We believe rational use of medicines is a theme that should remain in the heart of political attention.
Therefore we are happy to announce that The Netherlands and WHO will organize a Ministerial Summit on the rational use of medicines in October 2012 in Amsterdam.
The Summit will coincide with the International Pharmaceutical Federations (FIP) Centennial congress.
We believe this Ministerial Summit will provide an excellent opportunity to discuss rational use of medicines at a political level and we hope the meeting will guide us in our future work.
Invitations for this meeting will be sent out in due course and we look forward to your participation.
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