Medicines Cooperation - Sweden to Join International Horizon Scanning Initiative
- 05/09/2019
- News
On 4 September 2019, the Dutch Minister for Medical Care, Bruno Bruins, announced plans for Sweden to join the impending International Horizon Scanning Initiative (“IHSI”) (see, attached press release). IHSI, which is expected to start in October 2019, is a form of international cooperation that seeks to identify innovative medicines before they reach the market. It will inform decision-making on treatment and budgets in the participating countries. IHSI is just one example of a broader trend of expanding international cooperation on medicines in a range of areas and in varying geographical constellations.
Last month, Minister Bruins had already announced that Canada would also become a member of IHSI (see, Van Bael & Bellis Life Sciences Newsflash of 18 July 2019). When airing the intentions of Sweden, Minister Bruins expressed the hope that IHSI would be able to begin operations with 10 member countries. Other known aspiring members include Belgium, Ireland, Luxemburg and The Netherlands.
