Pharmaceutical regulation in Denmark and the UK: Reformulating interest representation to the transnational level

TLDR

Denmark and the UK share common regulatory elements in the pharmaceutical industry, driven by sector‑level associational action and neo‑corporatist practices such as negotiation with state agencies, member compliance, and policy implementation as a private interest government. The study suggests that these findings could forecast regulatory changes at the European level in other sectors. The study shows that during economic internationalisation, business interests have shifted to transnational levels, enabling associations to strongly influence regulatory outcomes, while the reforms are neither fully deregulatory nor reregulatory but partly mirror national events. Abstract.

Abstract

Abstract. Common elements are recognised across Denmark and the UK in regulation of the pharmaceutical industry, which are attributed to the impact of associational action at the sector level. Our examination of arrangements for regulating medicine prices and information displays many of the hallmarks of neo‐corporatism – namely negotiation with state agencies, compliance seeking among members, and policy implementation through acting as a Private Interest Government. During a period of economic internationalisation and directive international agencies, we show how business interests have reformulated to transnational levels, with associations, despite facing a greater complexity of interests to represent, having a strong impact upon regulatory outcomes. These have been neither wholly deregulatory or reregulatory, but partly reflect events at national levels. This may predict regulatory developments at the European level in other sectors.