{"id":347,"date":"2025-09-09T09:58:47","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T09:58:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nordicpharmaceuticalforum.com\/?p=347"},"modified":"2025-09-09T10:05:54","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T10:05:54","slug":"after-10-years-of-the-nordic-pharmaceutical-forum-the-nordics-may-be-the-most-integrated-pharmaceutical-region-in-the-eu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nordicpharmaceuticalforum.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/09\/after-10-years-of-the-nordic-pharmaceutical-forum-the-nordics-may-be-the-most-integrated-pharmaceutical-region-in-the-eu\/","title":{"rendered":"After 10 years of the Nordic Pharmaceutical Forum – the Nordics may be the most integrated pharmaceutical region in the EU"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Nordic<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Celebrating our 10 year anniversary. Photo: Anne-Li Engstr\u00f6m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pharmaceutical organizations in Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Finland are currently celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their collaboration in the Nordic Pharmaceutical Forum (NLF). This cooperation has strengthened the supply of medicines and resulted in the region now being considered the most integrated in the EU.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were many good reasons why the pharmaceutical organizations in the Nordic countries took the initiative back in 2015 to establish the Nordic Pharmaceutical Forum. All countries were facing rising medicine expenditures, driven by new treatment options and an aging population. Added to this were growing challenges in securing the supply of medicines in an increasingly globalized pharmaceutical market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was our shared assessment that the best way to meet these many challenges was through collaboration. And I think we\u2019ve succeeded. In fact, so well that we may be able to call the Nordics the most integrated pharmaceutical region in the EU. That\u2019s something we can be proud of. Because ultimately, it\u2019s the patients in the Nordic countries who benefit,\u201d<\/em> says Flemming Sonne, CEO of Amgros and Chair of the Nordic Pharmaceutical Forum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

CEO of Amgros and Chair of the Nordic Pharmaceutical Forum, Flemming Sonne. Photo: Anne-Li Engstr\u00f6m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collaboration benefits small markets<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Over the years, it has become increasingly difficult for small markets like the Nordic countries to ensure access to medicines \u2013 especially at reasonable prices. The Nordic Pharmaceutical Forum has therefore continuously worked to make the Nordic markets more attractive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the greatest successes of the Nordic Pharmaceutical Forum is our joint Nordic tenders. We are probably the first in the world to continuously succeed in conducting joint tenders across borders. When we assess the outcomes today, we see improved access to medicines that were previously unregistered in Iceland, better supply security, and better prices. This underlines part of the value of our cooperation<\/em>,\u201d says Hulda Har\u00f0ard\u00f3ttir, Head of the Procurement Department at Landsp\u00edtali University Hospital, Iceland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

STRONG KNOWLEDGE SHARING<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another key focus area for the Nordic Pharmaceutical Forum has been collaboration on new, often promising and expensive medicines \u2013 including Horizon Scanning and joint negotiations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe all benefit greatly from Horizon Scanning and from sharing knowledge about which medicines are coming to market \u2013 and discussing how we should handle them. We\u2019ve already conducted two joint negotiations, and with the new shared guidelines, we can likely look forward to even more<\/em>,\u201d says Mikael Svensson, Coordinator negotiations, Regional cooperation model for pharmaceuticals, Sweden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The collaboration in the Nordic Pharmaceutical Forum is not only about prices, availability, and secure supply. Sustainability \u2013 especially in relation to medicine procurement \u2013 is also a key part of the cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the Nordic Pharmaceutical Forum, we\u2019ve been good at sharing knowledge about how each of us works with the sustainability agenda and how we can develop joint solutions. That\u2019s something we must continue. The Nordics also have experiences that are relevant to the rest of Europe \u2013 for example, in ensuring more sustainable procurement<\/em>,\u201d says Kerstin Carlsson, Director, HUS Pharmacy, HUS Group, the joint authority for Helsinki and Uusimaa in Finland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The danish health minister Sophie L\u00f8de and Flemming Sonne. Photo: Anne-Li Engstr\u00f6m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Results noticed in the EU<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The five Nordic countries have different legislation and structures in the pharmaceutical field. Naturally, this has posed some challenges for the NLF collaboration. But the will to succeed has always been present. That\u2019s why NLF can now look back on a series of impressive results: five years of joint Nordic tenders, collaboration on standard terms for advanced therapies (ATMPs), and harmonization of environmental criteria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These achievements have not gone unnoticed \u2013 even outside the Nordics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Nordic Pharmaceutical Forum has a strong voice in the EU on pharmaceutical matters. And I believe that\u2019s well deserved. Our collaboration and results are inspiring \u2013 and they come with responsibility. That\u2019s why it\u2019s been natural for the NLF to actively participate in EU initiatives like the Critical Medicines Alliance. It has allowed us to contribute with our insights and input on how regional joint procurement can help ensure better supply security in Europe<\/em>,\u201d says Tommy Juhl Nielsen, Director of the Pharma Division at Sykehusinnkj\u00f8p.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stronger together<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Nordic Pharmaceutical Forum is built on voluntarism, consensus, and shared responsibility across countries. For the past 10 years, the collaboration has focused on sharing knowledge, identifying opportunities, and developing new joint Nordic solutions. It\u2019s a collaboration that all NLF participants remain committed to and will continue to support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we thought the challenges were significant when we decided to establish NLF ten years ago, they certainly haven\u2019t diminished. Since then, we\u2019ve seen war on the continent and a new normal in how the world collaborates and trades. The time for cooperation and joint solutions is more urgent than ever<\/em>,\u201d says Flemming Sonne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Nordic Pharmaceutical Forum celebrates its 10-year anniversary on 9 September 2025 \u2013 in Copenhagen, where it all began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Facts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Members of the Nordic Pharmaceutical Forum include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Amgros I\/S, Denmark<\/strong> \u2013 the central procurement organization for hospital medicines<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Sykehusinnkj\u00f8p HF, Norway<\/strong> \u2013 the central procurement organization for, among other things, hospital medicines<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Norwegian Medical Products Agency<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Landsp\u00edtali, Iceland<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SKR)<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • HUS Pharmacy, HUS Group<\/strong> \u2013 the joint authority for Helsinki and Uusimaa, Finland<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    ATMP<\/strong> stands for Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Celebrating our 10 year anniversary. Photo: Anne-Li Engstr\u00f6m. The pharmaceutical organizations in Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Finland are currently celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their collaboration in the Nordic Pharmaceutical Forum (NLF). This cooperation has strengthened the supply of medicines and resulted in the region now being considered the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":348,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"iawp_total_views":206,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nordicpharmaceuticalforum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nordicpharmaceuticalforum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nordicpharmaceuticalforum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nordicpharmaceuticalforum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nordicpharmaceuticalforum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=347"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/nordicpharmaceuticalforum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":356,"href":"https:\/\/nordicpharmaceuticalforum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347\/revisions\/356"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nordicpharmaceuticalforum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nordicpharmaceuticalforum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nordicpharmaceuticalforum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nordicpharmaceuticalforum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}