Prof. Kostadin Angelov, chair of parliament's health committee, has called for laws to keep generic and biosimilar medicines on the Bulgarian market. He spoke at the opening of a forum marking 25 years since the Bulgarian Generic Pharmaceutical Association (BGPharmA) was founded.

The forum, "Generic and biosimilar medicines – a guarantee of lasting access to treatment", is held under the committee's patronage.

"We must create laws that encourage generic and biosimilar medicines to stay on the Bulgarian market," Angelov said.

He said the rules on medicines change all the time, with no aim or direction. This makes the market hard to predict, and some drugs could start to run short. The changes must stop, he said, and policy should follow a long-term strategy, not party politics.

The chair said the health committee is not split along party lines. Its members agree that people must have access to medicines.

Angelov also said the generic industry is a "backbone" sector, so the state should treat it as a special case. He said its initiatives should get support. The sector makes up 3% of Bulgaria's gross domestic product.

Angelov said every country relies on generic and biosimilar medicines for diseases of social importance, which are a leading cause of death. Bulgaria has the highest rate of these illnesses and deaths from them in the EU. Even the richest countries use generic drugs, he said, because they give the best balance of price and effect.

BGPharmA chair Nikolay Hadzhidonchev spoke about the association's 25-year history. "We mark 25 years of a cause: to guarantee access and good treatment for Bulgarian patients," he said.

Hadzhidonchev said the association has become a reliable partner. With the authorities, it works to build affordable, good-quality healthcare based on treatment with generic and biosimilar medicines.