John has conducted extensive research on the Europeanization of pharmaceuticals involving scores of interviews with stakeholders from the pharmaceutical industry, government regulatory agencies, patients organizations, experts from the medical profession, and civil society groups. It examines the politics of the development of pharmaceutical regulation in Europe from the early 20th century with particular reference to Germany, Sweden, the UK, and the development and consequences of the supranational EU’s European Medicines Agency (originally known as the European Medicines Evaluation Agency). This work was the first historical or social science investigation of supranational EU pharmaceutical regulation and the EMA. Germany, Sweden, and the UK were chosen for investigation at the national level because in the 1990s they were regarded as having the most powerful national drug regulatory agencies in the EU and hence of most significance in relation to supranational developments. He argues that the emergence of European pharmaceutical regulation from the late 20th century onwards is best characterized by neo-liberal corporate bias. This theme is exemplified in the following publications:
John Abraham and Graham Lewis Regulating Medicines in Europe: Competition, Expertise and Public Health, 254pp, Routledge, 2000.
John Abraham and Graham Lewis (2002) ‘Citizenship, medical expertise and the capitalist regulatory state in Europe’ Sociology: the official journal of the British Sociological Association 36: 67-89.
John Abraham and Graham Lewis (2001) ‘The creation of neo-liberal corporate bias in transnational medicines control: the industrial shaping of the European regulatory state’ European Journal of Political Research 39: 53-80.
John Abraham and Graham Lewis (1999) ‘Harmonising and competing for medicines regulation: How healthy are the European Union’s systems of drug approval?’ Social Science and Medicine 48: 1655-67.
John Abraham and Graham Lewis (1998) ‘Secrecy and transparency of medicines licensing in the EU’ Lancet Vol. 352: 480-82.
John Abraham (2004) ‘Scientific Expertise and Regulatory Decision-Making: Standards, Evidential Interpretation and Social Interests in the Pharmaceutical Sector’ in (ed.) Edmond, G., Expertise Regulation.and Law, pp. 51-66 (Hants. England, Ashgate)
John Abraham and Graham Lewis (2003) ‘Europeanization of medicines regulation’ in (eds.) John Abraham and Helen LawtonSmith, The Regulation of the Pharmaceutical Industry, pp. 42-81. (Basingstoke: Palgrave).
John Abraham (1997) ‘Secrecy and Drug Regulation in Europe: Who is Being Protected?’ (Guest editorial) International Journal of Risk and Safety in Medicine 10: 143-46.