Health

Czech experts: Tackling cancer care inequalities in Europe requires more data
Access to oncology care in Europe is often accompanied by inequalities which can be tackled by better data collection and usage, Czech experts say. EURACTIV.cz reports.OpinionPromoted content

Digestive cancers: Turning the tide through prevention
Leading digestive cancer experts, policymakers and the MEP Digestive Health Group (MEP DHG), discuss challenges and policy opportunities for digestive cancer prevention across Europe, prompting action to reduce the burden of digestive diseases.
Indian vaccine giant Serum plans African plant in global expansion
The Serum Institute of India (SII), the world's biggest vaccine maker, is considering setting up its first manufacturing plant in Africa as it looks to expand globally after its success in selling COVID-19 shots, its CEO said on 23 May.
Pointing to the right solutions for improving cardiovascular health
In the report we published on “Health Systems After COVID-19” last year, we had suggested that evaluating the impact of a pandemic was going to require significant untangling of events that were still under investigation. PodcastPromoted content

Equitable access to medicines in Central and Eastern Europe
In this podcast created by Medicines for Europe, the presenter informally discusses a key topic related to off-patent medicines with two or more experts, focusing on generics, biosimilar and value added medicines.
Several transparency issues during COVID could have been avoided, says EU watchdog
The EU response to COVID-19 has been a balancing act between being fast and being transparent. While issues still remain, European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly tells EURACTIV about the issues she has looked into and what to consider for next time.
France’s newly appointed health minister in favour of ‘strengthening’ Europe’s health systems
Brigitte Bourguignon was appointed France's new Minister for Health and Prevention in Elisabeth Borne's government on Friday (20 May). Olivier Véran, who she is succeeding, was appointed Minister Delegate in charge of Relations with Parliament and Democratic Life.
Mysterious monkeypox reported in 7 EU countries, raising health concerns in the bloc
Cases of the monkeypox virus, first reported in the UK on 7 May, have been spreading: as of Friday (20 May), 60 diagnoses in Europe across seven EU countries have been confirmed.
Commission aligning EU’s position ahead of world health assembly
In the run-up to the Seventy-fifth World Health Assembly starting on Sunday (22 May), the European Commission aims to align member state positions and ensure the EU-wide agreements are translated into WHO policies.
Expert: Cardiovascular health will only be improved with an EU-wide dedicated plan
EU policymakers should develop a more structured approach to improving cardiovascular diseases if the bloc wants to see tangible results in future healthcare, Dr Charmaine Griffiths, interim president of the European Heart Network (EHN) told EURACTIV in an interview.
EU cooperation key for rare diseases research, accessible treatment, says expert
France is "ahead of the curve" when it comes to treating rare diseases, but with 36 million Europeans affected, cooperation at the EU level to advance research and make treatments more accessible is essential, an expert warned. EURACTIV France reports.
Health Brief: Cross-border healthcare rights are (still) unknown
After ten years with the cross-border health directive, hardly anyone in the EU is aware of their rights to be treated in another county, the European Commission's new evaluation of the directive has revealed. Just as plenty of evaluations before them have.
Cholera outbreak: A new health concern in war-torn Ukraine
The areas in Ukraine suffering from water and sanitation infrastructure damage are at risk of a potential cholera outbreak, the World Health Organisation warned on Tuesday (17 May), adding it was already deploying cholera kits on the ground.
Cancer nurses needs an ambitious European Care Strategy
We must ask what concrete actions we can take to support and protect healthcare professionals, notably oncology nurses, a crucial workforce for our society, health and well-being, writes a liberal European lawmaker.
UK worried monkeypox might be spreading among men who have sex with men
Four additional cases of monkeypox were detected in the UK among men who have sex with men leading to concerns about the virus spreading in the community.
EU may terminate vaccine purchase agreement with French drugmaker Valneva
A manufacturer of one of the four COVID-19 vaccines currently under rolling review by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) received notice from the European Commission that the advance purchase agreement of over 24 million doses might be terminated.
Nearly one billion disabled people cannot access assistive technology
Almost one billion children and adults with disabilities, as well as older persons, do not have access to the assistive technology they need, warned a new report by the World Health Organisation, whose chief urged all the countries to make this issue a priority.
Cardiovascular disease: Not only about lifestyle?
According to European Commission data, there are more than six million new cases and over 1.8 million cardiovascular disease-related deaths in the EU. In this event report, EURACTIV will examine the different proposals patients and industry stakeholders suggest for Europe to face its "number one killer".
Europe needs screening to kill its number one killer, stakeholders say
The pandemic should be seen as a wake-up call for EU policymakers to take a more focused approach toward cardiovascular diseases (CVD), Europe’s number one killer, as patients have already paid a heavy price due to COVID-19, stakeholders have warned. VideoPromoted content

Media Partnership – Digestive cancers: Turning the tide through prevention
The event is an annual meeting of the MEP Digestive Health Group(MEP DHG). The MEP DHG is a cross-party platform of Members of the European Parliament from different EU Member States, acting as the voice for digestive health in the European Parliament and prompting European action to reduce the burden of digestive diseases.
First European Parliament’s COVID committee meeting reveals broad scope of topics ahead
The very first meeting in the European Parliament’s new COVID-19 committee (COVI), did not bring about any substantial debate, but revealed the broad range of topics MEPs wish to address in the quest to collect lessons learnt from the pandemic.
Half of hospitalised COVID-19 patients in China still have symptoms after two years
A follow-up study found that two years after being hospitalised with COVID-19 in China, over half still have at least one symptom.
Commission: Disputed antimicrobial should be restricted, but not reserved for human use
European lawmakers are still not impressed by the EU executive's strong defence of its stance on the disputed antimicrobial colistin, as disagreements surrounding the list of antimicrobials to be reserved for human use continue.