Calls to boost Dutch investment in drug innovation as access lags behind Germany
Europe no longer sets the pace in drug development. Asia supplies key raw materials, the United States dominates investment in clinical research and R&D, and China is rising fast. Against that backdrop, Dutch stakeholders are warning that the Netherlands must invest more in pharmaceutical innovation or risk falling further behind.
Jan Güse, head of public affairs, and Paardekooper argue that Europe has been a free rider on innovation funded elsewhere, drawing a comparison to defense spending. They say countries should pay their fair share for innovative medicines and make their markets more attractive, or the continent’s competitiveness will erode.
Regulatory reforms are needed, they add, to prevent Europe from repeating the trajectory of the auto industry. The Netherlands exemplifies the tension. While the government designates life sciences and health as a top sector for innovation, it also imposes far-reaching limits on the medicines market.
Procedures for reimbursement are taking longer, and access—particularly in oncology—is slipping behind peers, according to the two. The gap with Germany is striking: of the 35 medicines the European Medicines Agency approved in 2023, 12 had become available to Dutch patients by early this year, compared with 32 in Germany, according to IQVIA.
Spending patterns add to the picture. The Netherlands allocates about 6.6% in gross expenditures on medicines as a share of total health spending—among the lowest ratios in Europe, according to OECD figures. Güse links national spending and policy to companies’ willingness and ability to invest: if new drugs do not reach patients, running future clinical trials becomes harder because comparator treatments are unavailable.
He argues that outlays on innovative medicines should be seen as investments in health and society, not just costs. To spur progress, Novartis and Vintura convened the second Opening Doors to Innovation event, bringing together companies, health economists, insurers, ministries, researchers, healthcare associations and patient groups.
Güse said global pressures are increasing the urgency to sit down together and build understanding of each party’s agenda and role in the system. Both speakers called for closer cooperation among government, healthcare and industry, noting that countries such as Switzerland and Germany make this easier.
The message for the Netherlands is consistent: speed up access, align policy with innovation goals and strengthen the market’s appeal. Without that, they warn, Europe—and the Dutch healthcare system in particular—will struggle to develop medicines at home and to maintain reliable availability for patients.