Vigenin: Let's act for fair, sustainable and innovative cancer treatment

Biosimilars are an example of how science, innovation and policy can combine to benefit society – giving millions of patients access to life-saving therapies that would otherwise be inaccessible.

In the European Parliament, the Bulgarian MEP from the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, Kristian Vigenin, hosted the event “Building Equality, Access and Sustainability in Cancer Care with an EU Policy and Strategy on Biosimilars”, organised in collaboration with Cancer Patients Europe in the framework of the Global Biosimilars Week 2025.

“Today, 7 billion treatment days have already been conducted in Europe with biosimilars – a telling fact about their real impact on people’s lives. However, access to these therapies is becoming uneven – especially in Central and Eastern Europe. This is not just an economic issue, but an issue of justice and solidarity”, the MEP addressed the audience.

As a member of the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, as well as the Subcommittee on Public Health, Vigenin expressed his satisfaction that the European Parliament continues to play an active role in this debate. “Working on the subject of public health in the context of biotechnology and life sciences, I – along with many colleagues here – have been pushing for a stronger link between research, industry and patient access. Biosimilars sit right at that centre – at the crossroads between scientific innovation, industrial capacity and real patient benefit,” the MEP said. Vigenin pointed out that the European Parliament is actively working on policies that will change this – through the Critical Medicines Act and the forthcoming Biotechnology Act, which will strengthen Europe’s autonomy and promote innovation in healthcare.

The MEP pointed out that legislation alone is not enough: “We need to build trust and understanding between patients, doctors and institutions. We need to talk more about biosimilars, their safety and effectiveness, and their role in ensuring sustainable health systems.”

“Behind every statistic is a human story. Our task is to ensure that no patient in Europe will be left without treatment, no matter where they live”, the Bulgarian MEP stressed. He called for the event to be more than a discussion, to be a call to action and a commitment to fair, sustainable and innovative cancer treatment.

The meeting was attended by members of the European Parliament, representatives of health institutions, manufacturers of biosimilars, experts and patients.