Greece is advancing its digital health agenda through a dual strategy of developing comprehensive health data infrastructure and reforming pharmaceutical pricing mechanisms, according to Euractiv.
At the 2nd SFEE Summit in Athens, Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis outlined plans for a transitional compensation scheme for high-cost innovative medicines, expected later this year.
Georgiadis stated that additional measures would be taken to control pharmaceutical expenditure and reduce mandatory returns suffered by businesses. He framed the initiative as essential for patient access to cutting-edge therapies while alleviating industry clawback burdens.
The transitional compensation scheme, rebranded from the “innovation fund,” aims to bridge funding gaps for novel treatments. This aligns with broader European efforts to regain competitiveness in pharmaceutical innovation.
Stefan Oelrich, President of Bayer’s Pharmaceutical Division and EFPIA President, emphasised at the summit that Europe requires a “bold regulatory framework” to counter US and Chinese dominance, urging reduced bureaucracy, accelerated approvals, and stronger innovation incentives.
Simultaneously, Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou highlighted progress in building Greece’s national health data ecosystem. While pandemic-driven digital adoption lacked structure, he noted:
We are now working under the right framework [Electronic Health Record (EHR) system].
Efforts now focus on overcoming data interoperability challenges to align with the European Health Data Space (EHDS) requirements. Aris Aggelis, Secretary General for Strategic Planning, confirmed ongoing mapping of health datasets with PwC and development of regulatory frameworks for data usage, alongside establishment of a Health Data Access Body to coordinate secure information sharing.
Novartis Greece CEO Konstantinos Papagiannis urged transitioning “from digital readiness to digital maturity” through system interoperability and data quality assessment. Pfizer’s Ioannis Pandis cited pilot projects demonstrating how integrated datasets can identify high-value treatments, underscoring Thessaloniki’s role as an innovation hub.
Despite technological ambitions, stakeholders emphasised human factors, with Intelligencia AI CEO Dimitris Skaltsas warning:
You fall behind in health innovation if your data is outdated or poorly curated.
