Director General’s review and Fimea’s sustainability policies

2023 was a turbulent year in many ways worldwide, as geopolitical tensions, the aftermath of the pandemic and economic challenges had global impacts. At the same time, in June 2023, a new Government entered office in Finland. The entries in the new Government Programme provide excellent support for Fimea's responsible duties and further confirm that we have chosen our sustainability policy correctly. 

Promoting the availability of medicines and medical products is one of our most important tasks. The development of new pharmacotherapies is rapid, and Fimea's experts contribute to getting them placed on the market. We have seen in the scope of our supervisory work how the possibilities for utilising artificial intelligence have taken a big step forward. We also considered how artificial intelligence could be used in our role to make everyday life easier and to facilitate our work. 

During the year, we continued the fight against antibiotic resistance, the threat of which affects both human and animal health. The increase of antimicrobial resistance would see our health care system return to a situation where antibiotics had not been discovered yet. Fimea's experts are also involved in this work in both national and international working groups. 

One of Fimea's most important objectives is the rational use of medicines, which we also see as a partial solution for curbing the year-to-year increases in pharmaceutical costs. The rationality of pharmacotherapies is reflected in the consumption of medicines, the success of pharmacotherapies and, consequently, a reduction in pharmaceutical costs.

According to a media barometer commissioned by the administrative branch of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Fimea's reputation is at a higher level than ever before. According to the study, Fimea acts "correctly and responsibly – taking both society and the environment into consideration".

We will continue to promote sustainability in the pharmaceutical sector - our goal is a sustainable future.

Eija Pelkonen, Director General, Finnish Medicines Agency Fimea

Sustainability at Fimea

As part of the central government, Fimea strives to ensure that society develops in a sustainable manner in accordance with the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. From the perspective of its activities and stakeholders, Fimea has identified the four most essential UN SDGs that it can particularly influence through its activities.

       
Fimea’s social sustainability is based on our statutory duties, and it aims at safeguarding the well-being of the population and services and benefits in a sustainable manner. Responding to the needs of users of medicines and medicinal products for human and veterinary use, social and health care professionals and veterinarians is a primary sustainability goal in our official duties.

Sustainability is part of Fimea's operations in a rapidly changing operating environment, and we now take sustainability aspects into consideration more actively in our operations than previously. We have compiled the concrete actions that are part of our work and the objectives of our work in this sustainability report.  We will address these through the four UN 2030 Agenda goals and their sub-goals.