Innovation in pharma
EU health sector ‘up to a decade’ behind others for digitalisation, Commission says
The EU health sector is in the middle of a defining moment but the sector is “up to a decade” behind other sectors in terms of digitalisation, Deputy Director-General for Health and Food Safety Martin Seychell told EURACTIV.com.
New EU Commission should take on rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases
The new European Commission should tackle "head-on" rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, the president of the European League Against Rheumatism (Eular) told EURACTIV in an interview, referring to chronic diseases that affect one-quarter of all Europeans, creating healthcare and social security costs.
EU cancer plan will succeed if the right priorities are identified, official says
The much-awaited EU cancer plan will first have to identify specific needs at national level, seek funding and then be closely monitored in order to be successful, a high-ranking EU official has told EURACTIV.com.
Healthy vaccines ecosystem: A tough equation to solve
In a fragmented EU market, the vaccines ecosystem is complex and in order for it to be “healthy” all relevant stakeholders should be taken into account, Professor Panos Kanavos, an associate professor at LSE, told EURACTIV.com.
Measles hit Zagreb as social media join fight against anti-vaccination
Seven people have been diagnosed with measles in Zagreb in the past two weeks, raising concerns that more cases of this highly contagious virus may occur in light of the rising anti-vaccination campaigns.
Better access to health innovation is Kyriakides’ top priority (and hardest task)
With increased powers, Health Commissioner-designate Stella Kyriakides is tasked with striking a difficult balance between making sure there is a steady supply of affordable medicines and ensuring that EU pharma industry remains a world leader in innovation.
What European patients need: a shot of some good old Belgian surrealism
In art, Belgium is internationally recognised as the land of surrealism, where reality and dreams are intertwined to offer a new perspective on the world. Life sciences is another Belgian specialty and a major historical export product, a group of authors write.
Czech drug policy shifts toward patients with rare diseases
The Czech government has launched a legislative initiative to improve access to most modern medications and rare disease drugs, Health Minister Adam Vojtěch told EURACTIV in an interview, adding that patients are involved in the decision-making process at a very early stage, including in drafting the law.
New pharma boss: Next EU Commission should be clear on how to protect innovation
The next EU Commission should take a stronger position on innovation in the pharma sector, the new leader of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
EU should tackle health inequality with investments: MSD official
Every EU government should prioritise healthcare because only health citizens can be a driving force for economic growth, told EURACTIV Croatia Gabriele Grom, Vice President of MSD in Central Eastern Europe (CEE).
Pharma incentives reform is for the next Commission, EU official says
Stakeholders gathered in the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) reiterated their demands to reform the incentives for pharmaceutical innovation, making a set of recommendations to the European Commission during an event in Brussels on Monday (3 June).
AMR incentives could be next big EU opportunity, pharma boss says
Europe could become the first region worldwide to incentivise the fight anti-microbial resistance (AMR), Nathalie Moll, director general of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), told EURACTIV in an interview.
Katainen: Same level of priority for food and medicine in no-deal Brexit
Medicine supplies and food safety standards are both vital and the EU cannot prioritise one over the other in the event of a no-deal Brexit, Vice President of the Commission Jyrki Katainen said on Thursday (4 April).
Pharma industry urges EU leaders to ‘re-focus’ on patients post-Brexit
The EU pharma industry has prepared for a hard Brexit scenario but this is not enough as EU leaders need to take specific measures to ensure medical supplies after the UK departure, EU pharma chief Stefan Oschmann has said.
Report from two EU agencies confirms superbugs as a rising threat
No decrease in resistance to antibiotics has been reported in the latest study drawn up by the EU's top two public health authorities, which should be a cause for alarm, according to the bloc's health boss, Vytenis Andriukaitis.
EU pharma stakeholders take action to tackle fake medicines
A number of pharma stakeholders announced on 9 February the official launch of the European Medicines Verification System (EMVS), which will make use of new technologies to improve safety in the medicines’ supply chain against fake products.
Pharma industry raises the alarm about stockpiling of generic drugs
The industry of innovative medicines is concerned with a recent vote in the European Parliament on the stockpiling of generic drugs, saying that it causes uncertainty over innovation in the pharmaceutical field.
New anti-microbial resistance business models are off the table, Romanian health minister says
Romania's EU Presidency will not look into new business models to tackle anti-microbial resistance (AMR), Romanian Health Minister Sorina Pintea told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
Discussion heats up over stockpiling of generic drugs under patent protection
The Commission has announced its intention to add a manufacturing waiver to supplementary protection certificates (SPC), as part of its upgraded 2015 Single Market Strategy.
Disparities remain on how to tackle lung cancer in Europe, report says
Enhanced prevention measures, especially against tobacco and electronic cigarettes, combined with access to innovative treatments can help tackle rising lung cancer cases in Europe, a new study funded by the industry has found.
Romanian health minister: Prevention and innovative drugs to kill cancer
In order to face the rising cancer incidence across Europe, governments should prioritise prevention policies, as well as access to innovative medicines under an EU-wide plan, Romanian Health Minister Sorina Pintea told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
Greek pharma boss: ‘We reached our limits, our sustainability is at stake’
The Greek pharmaceutical industry has reached its limits due to a number of “unreasonable” burdens imposed by the government during the crisis, Greek pharma chief Olympios Papadimitriou told EURACTIV.com in an interview. The sustainability of pharma companies is at stake, threatening 86,000 jobs, he said.
Does fast-track drugs approval in EU run too fast?
More than two years after its launch, the EU's fast-track approval process for marketing new drugs, called PRIME, is broadly welcomed by patients and industry, walking the fine line between patients' safety and expediency, and between the need to foster innovation and remaining abuse-proof.