Adamed Pharma at the 31st Economic Forum in Karpacz

This year’s edition was held under the theme “Europe in the Face of New Challenges”. The challenges, opportunities, and measures needed to resolve ongoing crises were discussed by experts, stakeholders, and decision-makers.

Katarzyna Dubno, Public Affairs & Market Access Director at Adamed Pharma, represented the company during two panel discussions: “Health-Business-Work” and “Strategy for the Development of the Pharmaceutical Market”. In addition, she chaired the panel “Health Security: Availability of Medicines and Medical Devices” with key industry stakeholders including representatives of the Ministry of Health and medicinal products regulatory authorities.

During the first panel involving Adamed Pharma, “Health-Business-Work”, Katarzyna Dubno pointed out that the level of health awareness among the Polish population was still inadequate. 

– This is not only a problem of the healthcare system, but a major problem for us as a society. Polish people do not go for medical check-ups and, as a result, fail to get appropriate treatment on time. The pandemic has made the situation worse, increasing the health debt in the population. Given the current situation, the main focus should be placed on health education and prevention. This is why we’ve launched the project “Adamed for the Family” as part of our social campaign. In smaller towns, where access to specialist healthcare is difficult, we provide preventive health check-ups – said Adamed Pharma’s Public Affairs & Market Access Director.

During the following days of the Forum, the participants were able to take part in insightful debates on the strategies for the development of the pharmaceutical market. On the second day, during the session “Strategy for the Development of the Pharmaceutical Market”, Katarzyna Dubno made a clear point that dividing manufacturers into ‘innovative’ and ‘domestic’ was unfair to Polish pharmaceutical companies. She underscored that Polish medicine manufacturers were highly innovative enterprises.

– The pharmaceutical industry is a strategic sector, playing a key role in safety. Polish manufacturers spend more than half of their profits on innovation, investments and R&D, in a joint effort to keep Polish patients safe – she highlighted. The panel’s attendees also discussed the amended Reimbursement Act. The manufacturers expressed their concern about rising production costs and declining investment opportunities. This is why they are calling for the indexation of prices of reimbursable medicines, which is all the more urgent in the current context, when patient safety must be an absolute priority for all parties concerned.

The issue of uninterrupted patient access to medications and medical devices has become a major problem not only in Poland, but throughout the European Union, which is attributable, among other factors, to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, with the war in Ukraine, we are facing the aftermath of the humanitarian crisis and the growing need of medicines, but also medical dressing supplies, medical devices and equipment. Ways to provide appropriate care to patients during ongoing crises were discussed by the participants of the session “Health Security: Availability of Medicines and Medical Devices” chaired by Katarzyna Dubno. The debate included contributions from the following participants: Maciej Miłkowski, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Health, responsible for the implementation and supervision of drug policy activities; Grzegorz Cessak, President of the Office for Registration of Medicinal Products, Medical Devices and Biocidal Products; Michał Byliniak, Director General of the INFARMA Employers’ Union of Innovative Pharmaceutical Companies; Arkadiusz Grądkowski, President of the POLMED Polish Chamber of Commerce of Medical Devices; Krzysztof Kopeć, President of the Board of the Polish Association of Pharmaceutical Industry Employers – Medicines for Poland; Bożena Szymańska, Advisor to the Management Board, DOZ S.A., and Thomas Weigold, Country Head at Sandoz Polska Sp. z o.o.

Katarzyna Dubno asked the participants a number of relevant questions. Is Poland’s health security at risk? Are we able to safeguard patients from risks? What should be done locally to resolve global safety and security concerns? The speakers agreed that the healthcare system in Poland would not operate properly without adequate protection of patients and uninterrupted supply of medicines and medical devices. A very strong emphasis was placed on the issue of drug sovereignty. It was highlighted that EU countries were still highly dependent on external suppliers. Both Poland and Europe should strive to become fully independent in terms of medicine production as soon as possible. The participants of the session were particularly concerned by the fact that the vast majority of substances used in the production of medicines are imported from Asia, mainly from the Chinese and Indian markets. Everyone agreed that at the root of the current crisis was a near complete outsourcing of production processes from Europe to third countries. However, the situation is evolving rapidly and the cost-effectiveness of Asian components is bound to decline, if only because of growing transport costs.

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The 31st Economic Forum was held in Karpacz on 6–8 September 2022. The main theme of the Forum was: “Europe in the Face of New Challenges”. Economic Forum is one of the largest meeting platforms in Central and Eastern Europe. In addition to discussing a variety of issues including safety, prospects of economic development, contemporary challenges and overcoming crises, the Forum’s participants present specific solutions and innovative ideas. In 2022, the Forum attracted a record attendance of 5,050 participants from 59 countries as well as 450 representatives of both national and international media. Over three days, the Forum featured over 400 debates and presentations. 

See our report below.