Mr Oschmann said he understood “it is a topic of concern” in Europe, but in general terms politicians had to understand drugs were becoming more complex and costly and adjust accordingly.
He said: “Over the last decade pharma spending has increased less than total healthcare spending… All of us must collaborate to make sure we all have the best access to medicines.”
The German businessman, who has been at the helm of Merck KGaA since April 2016, also called on regulators across the world to allow more flexible pricing of drugs to accommodate an expected influx of ‘combination’ treatments for certain illnesses, including immuno-oncology medicines for cancer.