Chief executive of Sanofi Christopher Viehbacher has been elected to serve as president of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations for two years.

Viehbacher who replaces the position held by GSK’s chief executive Andrew Witty, has called on the EU, member states and industry to work together in facing Europe’s tough economic and social challenges.

“I am extremely honoured by this election that comes at a time when Europe needs a different approach to healthcare,” he added.

“As an industry, we will continue to put patients first by delivering innovative, life-changing medicines that address unmet medical needs. But given the chronic deficits of healthcare systems, we must work differently, build collaborative policies and combine our strengths at both national and European levels. As we want healthcare to be a growth engine for Europe, our industry must focus on three priorities: patient access, science & innovation and competitiveness.”

Speaking on pharma R&D productivity he said it is ‘far from optimal’, at a time when the need for innovation in health has never been greater. Viehbacher adds that the industry needs to support collaborative research and rethink the regulatory and policy framework to help translate scientific innovation into therapeutic progress to bring to patients.

“In 2012 alone, the R&D-based pharmaceutical industry in Europe generated 700,000 jobs, and created a positive trade balance of an estimated €80 billion. This industry is driven by innovation, by science, and, most importantly, by the health needs of people. 

“I look forward to working with my EFPIA colleagues and with others across the health system to advance policies that recognise the strategic importance of our industry in terms of better health for patients and economic growth,” Viehbacher concluded.

Joining Viehbacher at the head of the EFPIA board will be two newly elected vice presidents, Dr Roch Doliveux, UCB’s chief executive, and Joseph Jimenez, chief executive of Novartis.