France has long been recognized for its medical excellence and its capacity to innovate. But for several decades, French research has no longer found much. Update on the obstacles to “Made in France” therapeutic innovation.
Today, neither the initiative nor the benefit of research belongs to a single country. It all starts with a fundamental discovery in an American, English or French university, then the relay is taken by a Californian start-up before “big pharma” enters the game.
This is one of the explanations for the threat weighing on therapeutic innovation in France, endangering our country’s leadership in this area but also patients’ access to cutting-edge care.
1 – The weight of financial and budgetary constraints
The high cost of research in the pharmaceutical field can limit investments in therapeutic innovation. Furthermore, the budgetary constraints to which our health system is subject can create difficulties in financing innovative treatments, especially if they are expensive.
2 – Strict regulations
Marketing authorization (AMM) procedures in France are long and costly and slow down the arrival of new treatments. The regulatory framework, sometimes considered too rigid even if its objective is to guarantee the quality and safety of medicines, can discourage investment in research and development by generating an excessively long return time.
3 – Controlled prices
Negotiations on drug prices between industry, health authorities and insurers can affect the economic viability of certain therapeutic innovations. The price of medicines in France is one of the lowest in Europe, making it difficult for the industry to make its research and development costs and investments profitable.
4 – A weakness in public research funding
France devotes only a relatively small part of its GDP, that is to say its wealth, to research for therapeutic innovation. In 2022, health research spending represented only 3.3% of the state budget, down 0.2% compared to 2021.
5 – Demographic changes
France is facing an aging population which is leading to an increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases. These diseases require expensive treatments, which puts additional pressure on the health system, even if this weighs more on hospitals than on medicines.
6 – International competition
Increasing competition from foreign markets and in particular from countries where regulations may be less strict may affect therapeutic innovation in France. Our country is facing increasing competition from emerging countries, for example China, which offer more favorable conditions to pharmaceutical companies, including lower prices for patents and lower taxes.
