Innovative Medicines Initiative enters second phase with €3.3bn
Today, the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) enters its second phase with a €3.3bn budget and the ambitious goal of fast tracking the development of the next generation of medicines, particularly in areas where there is an unmet medical or societal need.
The IMI2 Strategic Research Agenda, which draws heavily on the World Health Organization (WHO) report ‘Priority Medicines for Europe and the World’, will also place a greater emphasis on speeding up patient access to new medicines. IMI is a public private partnership between the European Commission and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA).
Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, said: “One of the biggest challenges we face is to provide Europeans with better medicines and treatments, and at the same time ease the burden on our healthcare systems. Close co-operation between public and private actors in the life science sectors can help us towards this goal.”
Roch Doliveux, chair of the IMI Governing Board and CEO of pharmaceutical company UCB, reiterated EFPIA’s commitment to IMI: “Health will be a major economic challenge for Europe in the coming decades, and smart investment in healthcare is essential, for the benefit of both EU citizens and EU economies. IMI is a smart investment. Not only does IMI support a thriving life sciences sector – a key driver of future prosperity for the EU – it also gives us the collaborative platform we need to harness the potential power of new science in medicines research. By bringing together industry and academia, IMI can help us tackle existing healthcare challenges and improve lives for the patients that we are all striving to help.”
Today also marks the launch of the first IMI2 Call for proposals, featuring topics on type 1 diabetes and retinal diseases, both areas where there is an urgent need for new treatments.
