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The Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) and pharmaceutical enterprises working together for the future of Health Seminar
Introduction by Italian Ambassador Giulio Terzi
15/06/2010
-
I would like to welcome all of you to the Embassy of Italy. The Minister of Health, Prof. Ferruccio Fazio asked me to convey his personal message:
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the invitation. Official engagements prevent me from taking part in this important event, which I had well in advance put in my agenda.
My sincere appreciation for your excellent work in promoting and further strengthening deep ties between Italy and the United States, based on common understanding and shared ideals, values and culture. This initiative, which brings together the leading international actors in drug regulation, the Italian Medicines Agency, the European Medicines Agency and the FDA, together with representatives from industry, is a unique occasion to further share knowledge and experiences; to highlight the outstanding research conducted in Italy, fostering investments in Italian clinical research centres.
The Italian pharmaceutical sector is strengthened by peculiarities which are worth noting. I would like to mention in particular the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA), a unique feature which combines in a single institution the evaluation of the risk-benefit profiles of drugs with their cost-effectiveness, through Health Technology Assessments. That guarantees the sustainability of the Italian National Health Service, and promotes quality and innovation.
I wish to congratulate you again on this undertaking and offer to all my best wishes of success”.
Prof. Ferruccio Fazio, Minister of Health.
Hon. Prof. Fazio has also confirmed his visit to the United States next Fall, also to attend our annual Global Health Symposium in Washington, on October 12th, focusing on: “Healthy Aging Globally: A Life Cycle Approach”.
Today’s presentation is dedicated to “THE ITALIAN MEDICINES AGENCY (AIFA) AND PHARMACEUTICAL ENTERPRISES WORKING TOGETHER FOR THE FUTURE OF HEALTH”. It will explore how Public Institutions and private companies cooperate to foster Health and investments.
Prof. Sergio PECORELLI, President of the Italian Medicines Agency, has promoted this initiative, and is here today with Dr. Guido RASI, Director General of AIFA.
I would like to warmly welcome Dr. Sergio DOMPÉ, President of Farmindustria; Dr. Massimo SCACCABAROZZI and Dr. Emilio STEFANELLI, members of Farmindustria’s Comitato di Presidenza (Board); and Dr. Enrica GIORGETTI, Director General of Farmindustria.
On the American side, I would like to recognize and welcome:
Dr. Murray LUMPKIN, Deputy Commissioner, FDA;
Dr. Anthony FAUCI, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health;
Dr. Toni SCARPA, Director of the Center for Scientific Review, NIH;
Rear Admiral Dr. Susan BLUMENTHAL, former Assistant Surgeon General and the first ever Deputy Assistant Secretary for Women’s Health;
Dr. Robert GALLO, Director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland.
Science is a never ending search on the foundations of our knowledge. It is strongly bound to the evolution of ideas. It is perhaps worthwhile to recall what Pliny the Elder said when, in talking of plants, he describes their beneficial effects, in fighting disease.
“Pax secum in his aut bellum naturae dicetur.... omnia ea hominum causa” (Pliny, Natural History, book XX, 1)
“Here we shall set forth the state of peace or of war which Nature unleashes between its various elements, the hatreds or friendships between substances devoid of sense or intelligence, and all, too, created—a wonder for the contemplation of all of us—for the sake of humanity”.
Today we have the opportunity of looking at a sector that works for the sake of all of us, key to the quality of life. From early in our life it escorts us and provides vaccines, tools for the observation of our health, and, if necessary, products to restore it: prevention, detection, and cure are the pillars of pharmaceutical research and development.
Vaccines and food supplements help us grow harmoniously and free from diseases.
Sophisticated diagnostics detect the earliest stage signs of disease.
New medicines, built block by block, one molecule at the time, cure us and contribute to patient’s recovery.
The Italian pharmaceutical industry plays an important role in our economy. It ranks 6th in the world having sales amounting to 22.8 B € (12,1 % of the European total), investments in R&D for 1.2 B €, Total Exports for 11.97 B €, (9.3 B €, of which are medicinal products)
It is a most powerful engine for science: 10% of its workforce is dedicated to research, often achieving fundamental advances in therapies.
If we go back to the 1950’s and 60’s, the years of the “Italian Economic Miracle”, we realize that key discoveries made by Italian researchers and companies had worldwide impact. This is even more true today. Our scientists continue to find new and better cures.
The Italian-American cooperation in this field has been extremely important in the past. It will be even more so in the future. Behind the growing importance of the pharmaceutical sector for our quality of life there is a close relationship between research and development. The great strides made in genetics, in nanotechnology, in chemistry are quickly incorporated in this ever innovative field. And so, borrowing and paraphrasing again the words of the Elder Pliny, “we are truly amazed of what these men and women of science have done and will continue doing for the sake of all of us”.
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the invitation. Official engagements prevent me from taking part in this important event, which I had well in advance put in my agenda.
My sincere appreciation for your excellent work in promoting and further strengthening deep ties between Italy and the United States, based on common understanding and shared ideals, values and culture. This initiative, which brings together the leading international actors in drug regulation, the Italian Medicines Agency, the European Medicines Agency and the FDA, together with representatives from industry, is a unique occasion to further share knowledge and experiences; to highlight the outstanding research conducted in Italy, fostering investments in Italian clinical research centres.
The Italian pharmaceutical sector is strengthened by peculiarities which are worth noting. I would like to mention in particular the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA), a unique feature which combines in a single institution the evaluation of the risk-benefit profiles of drugs with their cost-effectiveness, through Health Technology Assessments. That guarantees the sustainability of the Italian National Health Service, and promotes quality and innovation.
I wish to congratulate you again on this undertaking and offer to all my best wishes of success”.
Prof. Ferruccio Fazio, Minister of Health.
Hon. Prof. Fazio has also confirmed his visit to the United States next Fall, also to attend our annual Global Health Symposium in Washington, on October 12th, focusing on: “Healthy Aging Globally: A Life Cycle Approach”.
Today’s presentation is dedicated to “THE ITALIAN MEDICINES AGENCY (AIFA) AND PHARMACEUTICAL ENTERPRISES WORKING TOGETHER FOR THE FUTURE OF HEALTH”. It will explore how Public Institutions and private companies cooperate to foster Health and investments.
Prof. Sergio PECORELLI, President of the Italian Medicines Agency, has promoted this initiative, and is here today with Dr. Guido RASI, Director General of AIFA.
I would like to warmly welcome Dr. Sergio DOMPÉ, President of Farmindustria; Dr. Massimo SCACCABAROZZI and Dr. Emilio STEFANELLI, members of Farmindustria’s Comitato di Presidenza (Board); and Dr. Enrica GIORGETTI, Director General of Farmindustria.
On the American side, I would like to recognize and welcome:
Dr. Murray LUMPKIN, Deputy Commissioner, FDA;
Dr. Anthony FAUCI, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health;
Dr. Toni SCARPA, Director of the Center for Scientific Review, NIH;
Rear Admiral Dr. Susan BLUMENTHAL, former Assistant Surgeon General and the first ever Deputy Assistant Secretary for Women’s Health;
Dr. Robert GALLO, Director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland.
Science is a never ending search on the foundations of our knowledge. It is strongly bound to the evolution of ideas. It is perhaps worthwhile to recall what Pliny the Elder said when, in talking of plants, he describes their beneficial effects, in fighting disease.
“Pax secum in his aut bellum naturae dicetur.... omnia ea hominum causa” (Pliny, Natural History, book XX, 1)
“Here we shall set forth the state of peace or of war which Nature unleashes between its various elements, the hatreds or friendships between substances devoid of sense or intelligence, and all, too, created—a wonder for the contemplation of all of us—for the sake of humanity”.
Today we have the opportunity of looking at a sector that works for the sake of all of us, key to the quality of life. From early in our life it escorts us and provides vaccines, tools for the observation of our health, and, if necessary, products to restore it: prevention, detection, and cure are the pillars of pharmaceutical research and development.
Vaccines and food supplements help us grow harmoniously and free from diseases.
Sophisticated diagnostics detect the earliest stage signs of disease.
New medicines, built block by block, one molecule at the time, cure us and contribute to patient’s recovery.
The Italian pharmaceutical industry plays an important role in our economy. It ranks 6th in the world having sales amounting to 22.8 B € (12,1 % of the European total), investments in R&D for 1.2 B €, Total Exports for 11.97 B €, (9.3 B €, of which are medicinal products)
It is a most powerful engine for science: 10% of its workforce is dedicated to research, often achieving fundamental advances in therapies.
If we go back to the 1950’s and 60’s, the years of the “Italian Economic Miracle”, we realize that key discoveries made by Italian researchers and companies had worldwide impact. This is even more true today. Our scientists continue to find new and better cures.
The Italian-American cooperation in this field has been extremely important in the past. It will be even more so in the future. Behind the growing importance of the pharmaceutical sector for our quality of life there is a close relationship between research and development. The great strides made in genetics, in nanotechnology, in chemistry are quickly incorporated in this ever innovative field. And so, borrowing and paraphrasing again the words of the Elder Pliny, “we are truly amazed of what these men and women of science have done and will continue doing for the sake of all of us”.
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