Introduction
The BGMA represents the interests of United Kingdom based manufacturers and suppliers of generic medicines and promotes the development of the generic medicines industry in the United Kingdom, as well as working closely with the European Generic Medicines Association (EGA) in Brussels.
We represent the views and interests of our members and industry generally to the UK government, the devolved administrations, regulators, other relevant third parties, including where appropriate the Institutions of the European Union and the media.
The BGMA has around 20 members drawn from the generic medicines industry, who between them account for over 85% of the UK market by volume.
In everything that we do, we aim to promote an intellectual property, regulatory, pricing and market environment that enables the reasonable creation, development and sustainability of generic markets in the interests of members, patients and the United Kingdom National Health Service (NHS).
The BGMA is a member of the European Generic medicines Association (EGA), which is based in Brussels and which similarly promotes the industry across Europe: the EGA is itself a member of IGPA (the International Generic Pharmaceutical Alliance).
Specifically, our aims are to:
- Maintain the most commercially attractive, fair and undemanding pricing & reimbursement regime as possible, and to remove artificial barriers to generic launch
- Create the most cost-effective UK regulatory environment possible
- Get a fairer deal for generic manufacturers in the hospital supply arena
- Provide an appropriate market environment for the development and effective marketing of biosimilar products
- Promote innovation and reduce NHS costs by creating competition to original branded medicines once their patent protection has lapsed.
The Association works through expert working groups that cover Regulatory Affairs, Economic & Commercial (Pricing, Reimbursement, Market Access, etc), Hospital Supply and Biosimilars.
These groups are overseen by the Board and the Strategy Group. The working group chairmen and vice chairmen are elected by the members of each group and ratified by the Board, which is the Association’s decision making body and which meets six times a year. The working group chairmen and vice chairmen report and recommend to the Board, thus ensuring that the Association’s policies and activities are member-driven and that all members have an equal input to the Association’s decision making.
Each member receives the right to two places on the BGMA Board and to nominate colleagues to sit on each of the working groups. Members are all also eligible to stand for the elected positions in the Association.
