Australia’s competition authority has extended the arrangements allowing local off-patent industry body the GBMA to closely collaborate with brand organization Medicines Australia to co-ordinate supply against the backdrop of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In the first part of an exclusive two-part interview, James Burt – Accord’s executive vice-president for Europe, the Middle East and North Africa – talks to Generics Bulletin about the key actions taken by the generics industry to mitigate the coronavirus pandemic, and the changed landscape that the off-patent arena can expect to see in future.

At a Medicines for Europe webinar on learning lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, a clear consensus emerged that a continued co-ordination between industry, regulators and the European Commission was key to both effectively address the current crisis and ensure a greater level of preparedness for similar challenges in future.