Emerging voluntary cooperation between European healthcare systems: Are we facing a new future?

Abstract

Voluntary cooperation between European healthcare systems in medicines can bring concrete benefits for those healthcare systems and for patients. Although cooperation between countries in the form of clusters has been in place for some years now, there is still relatively little information on their objectives, scope, structures, procedures and activities – partly due to confidentiality, partly due to an ever-changing environment. By interviewing people who are directly leading the voluntary cooperation in countries, this article brings more clarity on the current state of play in voluntary cooperation and unpacks the challenges that countries and companies are facing in moving the joint process forward. In particular, we have anticipated the potential short- and long-term outcomes and consequences for medicine assessment in participating countries.