On February 4 in Paris, Minister of Health and Solidarity Agnès Buzyn, Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation Frédérique Vidal, Secretary of State to the Minister of Economy and Finance Agnès Pannier-Runacher, and President of the Healthcare Industry Strategic Committee (CSF) and Chairman of the French Federation of Health Industries (FEFIS) Jean-Luc Bélingard, came together to sign the Strategic Contract for the Healthcare Industry and Health Technologies sectors. Through this agreement, the French government has reaffirmed its commitment and presence alongside the health sector in facing the challenges of public health and industrial competitiveness.

 

With the Strategic Contract that we have just signed, we are opening a new period, that of industrial conquest through innovation

Agnès Pannier-Runacher, Secretary of State to the Minister of Economy and Finance

During the event, Pannier-Runacher stated, “All the work we do, especially with the Strategic Committee of the Health sector, will seek one goal: strengthening the attractiveness of our health system to benefit the competitiveness of our companies and the quality of care for patients. With the Strategic Contract that we have just signed, we are opening a new period, that of industrial conquest through innovation. We need to develop new sectors such as antibiotic resistance and biotech. France has all the assets to be a world leader in healthcare industries.”

 

In alignment with the current goals of the National Industrial Council (CNI), the priorities of the Strategic Committee will be focused around the four principal themes of innovation, digital transformation, training and skills development, and internationalization. With these strategic axes, the CSF has identified four key projects: a bio-production initiative with the aim of doubling the output of technologies used for the production of biological molecules within ten years which strengthening the French pharmaceutical sector by domestically industrializing these disruptive technologies; a push for artificial intelligence within healthcare industries for the advancement of precision medicine by creating a world-class ecosystem and “Health Data Hub” with first initiatives in cancer and inflammatory diseases; a project on antibiotic resistance, which aims to make France the emblematic European player in the fight against resistant pathogens; and finally, the development of an international axis to drive France forward on the international scene in the context of offering comprehensive solutions for health products.

 

In regard to the initiatives, Minister Vidal affirmed that, “The field of health is emblematic of the ability of research to improve people’s lives and the need for the state and its industrial partners to cooperate to turn knowledge into a drug, a device, or a service accessible to the greatest number. Today, I am signing this contract, which commits us collectively to training young people as well as today’s workers in the professions of tomorrow and to promote all the synergies between academic research, innovation and industrial development.”

 

“Serving patients, the National Strategy for Health and sanitary independence of France, public health and innovation players, driven by an ambition of international influence, Industries and Health Technologies implement industrial projects of great innovation, of common interest and creators of economic and social added value,” added Jean-Luc Belingard of the CSF and FEFIS.

 

It is now fundamental that France, which already has a strong industry, supports the development of its companies in these areas with high economic and social added value

Agnès Buzyn, Minister of Solidarity and Health

In conjunction with the signing of the sector contract, the Innobio2 investment fund was launched. Contributed to by the two main subscribers, Bpifrance and Sanofi, accompanied by Boehringer Ingelheim, Ipsen, Servier, and Takeda, the initial EUR 135 (USD 153) million fund will invest in biopharmaceutical products, bioprocess development, diagnosis and medical devices. Moving forward, its scope will be expanded to digital health with a strong tie to prescription drugs.

 

Along with her signature, Agnès Buzyn declared, “The projects of this new CSF around bio-production, artificial intelligence and the fight against antimicrobial resistance are resolutely bringing progress and hope for patients and more broadly for our health system. It is now fundamental that France, which already has a strong industry, supports the development of its companies in these areas with high economic and social added value. We cannot say it enough: innovation, even more when it makes accessible what appears to be out of reach, is a source of optimism. It is therefore with great optimism that I sign today this new contract with the industries and health technologies sector.”

 

In France, the healthcare industry and health technologies sector comprises 3,100 companies, which account for approximately 455,000 direct and associated jobs, and generate revenues of about EUR 90 (USD 102) billion, including EUR 35.6 (USD 40.5) billion in export revenue.