The role of European legislation in investment in innovation (10 min)
Innovation in healthcare is not only about artificial intelligence and digital hospitals, but also about new medicines. Their path to European patients, however, is getting longer and more complicated. What does this mean for Slovakia and what changes are being prepared in Brussels? The share of clinical trials in Europe has fallen by roughly six percentage points over the past decade, and investments are shifting to more predictable environments, especially the United States. The reasons include weaker intellectual property protection and a fragmented market: in the United States, a decision applies to the entire market at once, whereas in the EU reimbursement decisions are made in 27 countries. The draft so-called European pharma package also envisages shortening regulatory data protection by two years, which increases investor uncertainty. The pharmaceutical sector is simultaneously facing additional regulations, such as chemical legislation and the directive on the treatment of urban wastewater.Why Europe is losing ground
