Pharma companies are giving backdoor aid to help with the austerity measures in the European Union. EU countries owe pharma companies between £9.5bn and £12bn in unpaid drug bills. Meanwhile, Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain have had discounts to the value of about £5.5bn in 2010-2011. In the meantime, the pharma companies are continuing to supply, because it would be unethical not to. Those are the claims of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), and its president, Andrew Witty – who also happens to be CEO of drugs giant GSK. Witty says that the EU is effectively requiring private sector pharma companies to share in the pain of austerity.