Mr. Edmonds will discuss the delay between the approval of new medicines and when patients actually have access to them in different EU member states.He will examine research that reveals that the delays patients face vary greatly from member state to member state and can be very long.The analysis suggests that these delays are the result of an unsatisfactory combination of EU and national government policies: EU policies which promote arbitrage (known in this sector as parallel trade or parallel distribution) in the name of free trade and the single market; and national policies which delay the acceptance of new treatments in order to hold down public expenditure.The results of these policies are harmful for both patients, who are denied the benefits of medical advances, and for the creation of new medicines since patents in the EU are effectively devalued. Mr. Edmonds will make recommendations as to how these delays can be reduced.

Peter Edmonds is a Director of European Economic Research Ltd ("Europe Economics"), an international economic consultancy.Prior to his current position, he served as an economist in Her Majesty's Treasury in Great Britain and in the New Zealand Treasury.

Mr. Edmonds is widely recognised as one of the leading international experts on regulation and competition in the pharmaceutical sector, with a special focus on the impact for patient access. He has recently completed a major study on competition in the supply of branded medicines to the UK's National Health Service.

He is also the author of reports on the development of paediatric medicines, the competitiveness of the EU pharmaceutical industry, and differential pricing.