This book presents a critical appraisal of medicines regulation policy and exposes the influence of the pharmaceutical industry in the acceleration of drug approvals.

This Book explains and investigates how medicines are controlled in Europe, especially the EU. Based on penetrating documentary and interview research with the pharmaceutical industry, regulators and consumer organisations,it provides the first major critical examination of the new Europeanised systems of medicine regulation. The authors argue that the drive to produce and approve more drugs more quickly for a single European market dominates other considerations, such as improvements in democratic accountability, the independence of regulators and scientific expertise from commercial interests, and drug safety testing and surveillance.