Greece pushes health‑policy reforms for pharma innovation and nature‑based care

At the SFEE Summit in Athens, Oliver Bleck, Head of Europe South for Roche, warned that European pharmaceutical competitiveness is falling, citing a 25% drop in global R&D investment and longer trial timelines. He urged the EU and member states, especially Greece, to strengthen intellectual‑property frameworks, speed up clinical‑study regulation, and create funding mechanisms that reward innovative therapies. Bleck noted that a drug approved in Brussels can take hundreds of days to reach patients in Greece, where waiting times average 641 days.

In a separate event in Piraeus, the KMOΠ centre presented early results from the Horizon‑funded NATURELAB pilot, which tests nature‑centred interventions such as gardening and outdoor activities in psychosocial rehab settings. Researchers reported increased social connection, better mood, and greater feelings of calm among participants. Officials called for institutionalising these interventions in primary care, social services and preventive health policies, emphasizing the need for robust economic evaluation and cross‑sector collaboration.

Both gatherings highlighted a push to modernise Greece’s health system by fostering pharmaceutical innovation and integrating evidence‑based nature‑based therapies.