Hungarian health minister says will bring creativity to pharma package negotiations

At the first Informal Health Council of the Hungarian EU Council Presidency on Thursday (25 July), State Secretary Péter Takács promised ‘creative thinking’ on the pending pharmaceutical package.

At the Informal Council in Budapest, the discussions focused on progress towards an action plan on cardiovascular disease and enhancing organ donation and transplantation, as well as on the implementation of the European health data space.

At the press conference following the Council, Hungary’s State Secretary for Health Péter Takács said the Hungarians were well known for two inventions, the Biro and the Rubik’s cube. “This represents creative Hungarian thinking, exactly what I will try to use, especially when it comes to negotiating the pharmaceutical package.”

The preceding Belgian EU Presidency started discussions on some of the more difficult aspects of the package, which already revealed sharp divisions among EU member states, especially in the area of incentives.

The previous European Parliament reached a common position in the first reading in its last mandate, which ended after June’s EU elections. Given the broad cross-party support for the parliament’s position, the new parliament is not expected to change its views and reopen discussions.

The Pharmaceutical Package is the most substantive regulatory dossier the Hungarian presidency will face during its six-month stint as chair of the Health Council. However, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s lack of diplomatic finesse towards other EU states could throw its plans off course. 

Is there anybody there?

Ahead of the meeting, there was a question mark over whether any ministers would attend the informal event, as many states have been incensed by Hungary’s unilateral “peace missions” to Russia and China and a meeting with Donald Trump, and have threatened to boycott meetings in Budapest. 

Several EU countries have said they would only send lower officials, or secretaries of state, to the informal ministerial meetings that are held in Budapest.

Asked about the attendance, Takács said, “Six countries are represented by their ministers, in addition to eight state secretaries. Given that this is the summer holidays, this is not a bad number.”

He said that since the informal meetings were a policy forum, “these meetings are for people who have degrees in science and who base their opinions on facts and evidence and not on ideology.”

“You could call this an island of peace in European politics.”

State Secretary for Health of the Ministry of Interior Affairs of Hungary, Péter Takács, press conference following Informal Health Council in Budapest, Hungary © Hungarian Presidency

What was discussed

Little information was made available on the substance of the discussions. The Director for the World Health Organisation’s European region, Hans Kluge, who was present, called on EU member states to take to heart WHO’s report on the commercial determinants of non-communicable diseases, issued last month.

“We know the policies that work to avoid these deaths [due to cardiovascular diseases]. So why aren’t we using them?” he said.

“At the core of the solution to this crisis, lies prevention. I urge countries to be bold. To rein in industry interests and enforce transparency, ban smoking in public places, raise tobacco and alcohol prices and tax sugary drinks.” 

Takács said that cardiovascular disease would be included in the European Council conclusions in December. 

Discussions on organ donation and transplantation focused on innovative medical practices, robust legal and ethical frameworks and ways to promote organ donation. 

Kluge said the organ donation problem – where “demand for organs far outstrips supply” – has clear and concrete solutions. 

“First, we need stronger transparency, because when people trust the system, they are more likely to participate as organ donors. Second, we need to ensure equitable access to high-quality transplantation services across the entire European region. Third, we must invest in new technologies such as xenotransplantation [using animal organs], regenerative medicine and bioengineering.”

“Fourth, we need to remember the importance of prevention,” he said.

[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic]

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