Prof. Dr. Octavian Crețu, President of the G6-UMF University Alliance in 2023: “First and foremost, we must develop our national industry”

Against the backdrop of recent warnings from representatives of Romania’s pharmaceutical manufacturers that the country faces one of the most severe situations in the European Union regarding pharmaceutical production—being heavily dependent on imports—the Ministry of Health, the G6-UMF University Alliance, and the Local American Working Group (LAWG) Association have launched the Health Innovation Hub during a major event held at the Palace of the Parliament.

The initiative—broadcast live by Sănătatea TV and RoHealthReview and hosted in the “Nicolae Bălcescu” Hall of the Palace of the Parliament—aims to create a unique platform that will encourage young Romanian researchers and entrepreneurs to initiate and carry out complex, interdisciplinary projects capable of transforming current medical practice.

The signing of the Collaboration Protocol lays the foundation for a national platform aimed at strengthening Romania’s capacity to generate innovation through top Romanian researchers, fully connected to the latest scientific discoveries, via a unique public–private partnership in the country, emphasized Prof. Dr. Octavian Crețu—Rector of the “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timișoara, and Acting President of the G6-UMF University Alliance—who, in an exclusive statement for Sănătatea TV and RoHealthReview, explained how this initiative will also support Romania’s domestic pharmaceutical industry, a segment currently highly vulnerable:

“This is a very important aspect, because within this hub, clinical trials will be conducted through which medicines—some even before being placed on the market—will be tested and analyzed on as many patients as possible, with six universities involved. This will obviously contribute to the development of Romania’s pharmaceutical industry and even the medical devices industry. Because, naturally, we will also carry out research activities for the Romanian industry.”

Reporter: How could this moment change policies regarding collaboration between the state and private companies?

Prof. Dr. Octavian Crețu: “Yes, unfortunately, it’s true: in Romania there is a prejudice against collaboration between the public and private sectors. I had the opportunity to complete a second specialization in France, where I worked in a public–private hospital, and I can say that no country in the world—not even those with the most advanced healthcare systems—has managed to reach the necessary standards for the benefit of the patient relying solely on the public sector, but only through cooperation between the two sectors.

Such collaboration must be well regulated by law, so that there are no conflicts of interest—only a fair and loyal partnership. This is certainly a first step forward: a logical opening, ultimately, between the academic and research side and the industrial side. Because the industrial side, which produces medicines and devices, if it does not test them in research hubs—meaning with us, who have the medical expertise—it will never know whether the medicine is effective, needs improvement, what side effects should be eliminated, or whether the devices are good and what could be done to make them better.

So it’s logical—this collaboration, this feedback must exist—because in the end, all of this will ultimately benefit the patients in our country.”

Reporter: All the more so, this topic is critical right now as national and European efforts seek solutions to reduce dependence on extra-continental imports.

Prof. Dr. Octavian Crețu: “Of course—ultimately, we must also develop our own national industry! Because, as you’ve seen, it’s no use if a medicine appears somewhere else if, by the time we manage to bring it to our country, it takes years to test it, and so on. In the end, we will need to develop our industry, agriculture, the medical field… all sectors! And first and foremost: to ensure, for ourselves, the essentials we need!”

Reporter: Since the discussion during the event touched on pragmatism—when will we be able to see concrete effects from these efforts?

Prof. Dr. Octavian Crețu: “They won’t be spectacular, but they will grow over time. Still, it’s a start. Because all these tests, all these clinical trials, go through several stages—clinical trials have four phases before a product reaches the market—so they will take time.

But it’s the beginning of a collaboration, and results will certainly be seen, because with six university centers working together, the number of researchers will be much higher, the number of patients involved in the study will be much greater, and, naturally, the processing speed will be much better. So, in a few years, we will see results!”