More should be done to incentivize comparative clinical trials so as to allow better decisions on drug pricing to be taken, said Austria’s representative at a recent meeting of EU health ministers.

Five Nordic countries are agreeing a common strategy for closer collaboration on access to hospital drugs.

Shionogi and Pfizer have formally agreed to a scheme that offers companies a new and sustainable payment model for innovating in antibiotics.

Companies are initially expected to fund drugs for individual patients under a Dutch pilot for improving access to orphan drugs.

Over the years, pharmaceutical companies in Europe have been given more incentives to develop orphan drugs, such as 10 years of market exclusivity. But with numbers of orphans on the rise, has the pendulum swung the other way?

The new financing mechanism promises faster access to new treatments, but some industry concerns remain unresolved.