In English

The Danish Generic Medicines Industry Association (IGL) is atrade association founded in 2002. The association today counts 14 member companies, which are all engaged in the sale and marketingof generic medicines for the Danish market. Some of the companiesalso manufacture generic medicines.

IGL is working to promote the sale of generic medicines in Denmarkand thereby limit drug costs to consumers and society.

Until 2002 largely all pharmaceutical companies in Denmark weremembers of the Danish Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry(Lif). However, research-based pharmaceutical companies and genericpharmaceutical companies have different interests. First andforemost this applies to issues such as patent rights and otherrules and conditions that directly affect which drugs are sold inDenmark. This is the reason the generic drug manufacturers brokeaway from LiF and created IGL instead.

IGL acknowledges and respects the principle that pharmaceuticalcompanies, which invest in research and development of newmedicines, are entitled to protection against unfair competition.Patent protection is an absolute precondition for the industry’sbeing able to produce new and better medicine for the treatment ofdiseases.

Inversely, IGL believes that it is important that those rightsnot be so extensive that they actually prevent drug competition.All Danes should have access to good, effective and inexpensivemedicine from the very moment the patents on the original medicinesexpire. This not only benefits the generic drug manufacturers butalso patients and Danish society, which today are so heavilyburdened by rising drug costs.

IGL is working to ensure that the laws, rules and practice inthe Danish health system will continue to address opportunities foroffering Danes good, effictive and inexpensive generic medicine.IGL will continue to contribute to the public debate on medicinesand drug expenses, just as the association sees it as its task toinfluence politicians, authorities and actors in the Danish healthsystem to think about what provides ‘most possible health for theleast amount of money,’ as far as medicine is concerned.