The Leem, a French organization representing the health industry, has drawn attention to major challenges facing France's healthcare system. These include long delays in patients accessing new medicines and a drop in clinical research activity. According to the Leem, the average time for a patient to get a new drug in France is 520 days—about ten times longer than in Germany. This delay means many French patients are waiting months for treatments that are already available in other European countries. Once a leading European nation in clinical research, France now ranks fourth, behind Spain, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Moreover, 82% of the French public believes this decline in research will worsen the existing gap in access to new treatments. The Leem argues that cost control should not be viewed solely from a short-term perspective. It emphasizes that effective medicines can prevent hospital visits, reduce complications, preserve patients’ independence, and help them return to work. This becomes increasingly important as France's population ages. The Leem estimates that by 2050, over 20 million French people will be over 65 years old, and by 2035, one in four will be affected by a long-term illness. These conditions already account for nearly three-quarters of the costs of the French Health Insurance system. To address these issues, the Leem has proposed 10 recommendations grouped into three main priorities, aiming for "zero missed opportunity" for patients. The first priority is to modernize health policy, which includes creating more unified governance, improving state planning, and appointing a clearly defined political figure responsible for drug policy. The organization also suggests a multi-year health programming law to provide long-term visibility for public authorities, industry, healthcare providers, and patients. Additionally, the Leem proposes a "horizon scanning" system—a five-year monitoring mechanism to anticipate the arrival of new treatments, funding needs, and patent deadlines. Drug evaluations should focus on clinical benefits or the prevention of hospitalizations, using a national dashboard, rather than being based solely on cost. According to a June 2026 report by the WifOR Institute for EFPIA, every euro invested in innovative drugs in France generates 5.2 euros in socio-economic returns. The Leem's approach is based on a balanced exchange between the state and pharmaceutical companies, suggesting simplification of procedures, tax incentives, support for critical drug production, and better consideration of European production in public tenders. It also aims to expand agreements between the government and industry to ensure research and clinical trials are more highly valued, similar to other productive investments. However, with the Social Security system facing a deficit of 21.6 billion euros in 2025—potentially rising to 23.2 billion euros in 2026—the Leem's strategy also includes seeking savings elsewhere. This could involve using generic and biosimilar drugs to free up funds for innovation, as well as promoting "good use" of medications through better packaging, waste reduction, improved coordination, and reducing unnecessary prescriptions.