“Recommendations for a strong health industry in Europe”
the health industry in the EU. That is why the current system of patent protection incentives should be retained. The EU should ensure fair and internationally competitive systems for the protection of intellectual property in order to attract investment and promote innovations. Any expansion of the existing system of the protection of intellectual property should take place in close coordination with industry. Central recommendation: ▪
The protection of intellectual property is an important factor in promoting investment in research and development particularly in the highly innovative field of healthcare technologies. Industry should continue to be closely involved in any expansion of this system.
2. Making a success of digitization and cybersecurity in the health industry in Europe The current digital transformation is also revolutionizing the health sector. New technologies in the health system permit better and more efficient medical care. Electronic health services form an essential component of the strategy of the European Commission for the digital single market. Their development within the EU takes place on the basis of the measures set out in the action plans of the European Commission for electronic health services and in the eHealth strategy of 2018.10 Although the eHealth strategy 2018 touches upon new challenges such as the introduction of the EU general data protection regulation (EU-GDPR) and threats to cybersecurity, nonetheless this strategy contains no concrete implementation plan with binding time limits. In order to remove regulatory-induced barriers between the national health markets of the EU member states we recommend a strategy for a “Digital Single Market for Health” (DSM-H). This should be rapidly implemented by means of a uniform legal framework and increased investment in digital infrastructures. For example, a common European infrastructure allows its citizens cross-border and safe access to their health data as well as to high-quality digital health services. Moreover, a DSM-H makes it possible for researchers and other specialists to pool resources (data, expertise, data processing and storage capacities) in the whole of the EU, for example in order to make advances in personalized medicine. Improving health care demands the exchange of health data while taking proper account of personal privacy and data protection. Only with appropriate and robust data networks can innovation develop its full force. For this reason there is an urgent need for a uniform and innovation-oriented legal framework in the whole of Europe. The safe use of data for academic and industrial research should be guaranteed for the benefit of patients. 10
Communication from the European Commission (COM(2018) 233) on enabling the digital transformation of health and care in the Digital Single Market; empowering citizens and building a healthier society ( 25th April 2018): https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADocuments/SR19_07/SR_HEALTH_CARE_DE.pdf
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