Bjørn-Inge Larsen

Prior to Mr. Larsen`s appointment in 2013 as Secretary-General of the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care services, Dr Bjørn-Inge Larsen (MD, MPH, MBA) i.a. served as Chief county medical officer in several counties as well as Director-General in the Norwegian directorate of Health 2001-2012. In the years 2010-2013 he represented Norway as Member of WHO Executive Board. Throughout his career as a leading public health official, he has been engaged in the debate on the role of civil society and the private sector in public health policymaking and how they can contribute to improved health outcomes, including in reducing premature deaths from non-communicable diseases. Secretary-General Larsen is now actively engaged in taking the agenda for increased transparency in medicine pricing forward, as set out in the World Health Assembly resolution 72.8. This includes how the pharmaceutical industry itself can contribute to increased transparency in medicine pricing with a view to improve access.