Press Release: A public-private research initiative to boost the competitiveness of Europe’s pharmaceutical industry

The European Commission and the pharmaceutical industry began work on 30 April, 2008, on implementing the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI). IMI aims to remove severe bottlenecks in the drug development process through innovative research projects, hence to accelerate the discovery and development of new medicines. It will launch later this year promising research projects in the areas of brain disorders, metabolic and inflammatory diseases. IMI is a unique public-private partnership between the European Commission and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA).