EU DRUG HARMONIZATION NOT YET STREAMLINED

Pharmaceutical marketers may think that the integration of regulatory policies among European Union countries will facilitate the switch of prescription drugs to over-the-counter status. According to a new study recently published by Kline & Company, the seamlessness of those regulations within the EU may not necessarily exist. "There are still a lot of roadblocks in place to prevent a drug from making the switch in a number of EU countries, even though in theory there appears to be some form of harmonization," says Laura Mahecha, industry manager for the Healthcare practice of Kline's research division. "Drug companies really need to analyze the chances for an Rx-to-OTC switch in all countries, and not assume that a switch in one country will improve the chances of a switch in another EU country."

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