POSITION PAPER | The Views of TIF on Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs)
Our latest Position Paper discusses the significant barriers that affect patient access to Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs) and calls for policymakers, healthcare professionals, and society at large to acknowledge and address these disparities.
The Thalassaemia International Federation (TIF) is pleased to share its newly published Position Paper, titled “Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs).” This comprehensive document delves into the challenges eligible patients face in Europe and beyond in accessing innovative, life-transforming treatments.
Despite recent breakthroughs in approving curative gene therapies for thalassaemia by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), significant disparities in availability and accessibility persist and continue to grow. These challenges stem from the complexity and novelty of these treatments, their high development costs, regulatory hurdles, and other systemic issues. Together, these factors make it difficult to ensure that these life-changing therapies reach all patients in need, regardless of where they live.
This Position Paper presents crucial information on ATMPs and their intrinsic value, elucidates the assessment procedures for ATMPs, articulates the European Union’s stance on ensuring access to medications, and presents TIF’s perspectives on the accessibility of innovative treatment options.
It also highlights the significant barriers preventing access of eligible patients to ATMPs and provides the patients’ perspective on gene therapy. Additionally, the document serves as a call to action, urging policymakers, healthcare professionals, and society as a whole to address the growing inequities in access to ATMPs.
By tackling these challenges, we can ensure that eligible patients have equitable access to these groundbreaking therapies, in alignment with and in support of the World Health Organization (WHO)’s programmes, recommendations, and resolutions on this critical issue.
