For more than two years the pharmaceutical majors and their lobbyists took it for granted that they could obtain made-to-measure legislation supporting their own narrow financial interests, with scant regard for public health or for the economic survival of national health care systems.

What they failed to realise was that European citizens from all quarters, including La revue Prescrire, its subscribers, the "Association Mieux Prescrire" and the diverse member organisations of the Medicines in Europe Forum would come together to scrutinise the draft texts, explain the stakes, sound the alarm, make counter-proposals, meet with European deputies, and lobby ministers.

What we achieved together was a major change of perspective: in the end, European legislators endorsed the view that medicines are not just another consumer good. The drafts underwent major improvements, not least ensuring greater transparency on the part of medicines agencies.

But we must not drop our guard: patients, health professionals, consumers, health insurers and concerned politicians still have to ensure that the "competent authorities" fulfil their new obligations and make the pharmaceutical industry respect the legal framework that European society has chosen for it.

©La revue Prescrire 1 July 2004