How Santa Juncker can bring the gift of a healthier EU

Opinion by European Alliance for Personalised Medicine (EAPM) Executive Director Denis Horgan 

Christmas is almost upon us and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker may already feel that he has played ‘Santa’ this year, with the recent unveiling of his European Fund for Strategic Investments, which aims to ‘kick-start’ Europe by raising €315 billion.

Santa’s not-so-little helpers in raising this sum are intended to be private investors (a wished-for €252 billion) with the rest guaranteed with public money from the EU budget and the European Investment Bank.  Mr Juncker may well also feel that the EU’s famous 12 golden stars will soon be shining brightly over the Berlaymont once again but, at the European Alliance for Peronalised Medicine (EAPM); there is a belief that Santa Juncker needs to put his red hat back on before he rides off into the distance on his sleigh with a hearty ‘Ho ho ho!’  Like Santa and his Wise Men (and women), Europe’s patients are hoping for a very Merry Christmas and EAPM’s festive letter and wish list has just been sent up the chimney.

Health and health care are among the top priorities for 500 million citizens across 28 member states and, while delivering gifts to that many expectant people is by no means easy, it can be done – even if it keeps Santa and his team busy for a few more Christmases to come…

Here are the EAPM's wishes: 

‘Dear Santa Juncker,  We’ve all been well-behaved boys and girls this year and, on behalf of all patients of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and especially Christmas To Come, EAPM asks for what follows below. (No need for wrapping paper in order to help the environment.)  In line with EAPM’s Specialised Treatment for Europe’s Patients initiative (STEPs) we call on Santa Juncker to commit to the following:

• STEP 1: To ensuring a regulatory environment which allows early patient access to novel and efficacious personalised medicine 

• STEP 2: To increasing R&D for personalised medicine, while also recognizing its value 

• STEP 3: To improving the education and training of health care professionals 

• STEP 4: To supporting new approaches to reimbursement and HTA, required for patient access to personalised medicine 

• STEP 5: To increasing awareness and understanding of personalised medicine 

In addition, EAPM would like to see the following under the tree during Mr Juncker’s term as Santa - the Data Protection Regulation should permit the primary  and secondary use of data for health research purposes bearing  in mind the safeguards already in place across the EU.  Meanwhile, clinical trials improvements should not be undone by the data regulation.  A five-year transition period for IVDs is needed for manufacturers to be able to fully comply with various new requirements.

In 2015, the European Union will have as its rotating presidencies two of the smaller member states, Latvia and Luxembourg. EAPM believes that health policies need to recognize and tackle the inherent health system vulnerabilities faced, specifically, by smaller countries and in the regions of the larger ones. We call this a SMART approach – Smaller Member states And Regions Together.  Finally, at least for this year’s wish list, the EU Semester process’s Country Specific Recommendations (CSRs) must be focused and balanced, rather than looking for sweepîng cuts in the bigger budget areas such as health. EAPM believes that all decisions and recommendations under the Semester should of course promote growth, but alongside research and efficiency, especially in the areas of health and personalised medicine.  The Alliance is of the view that if Santa and his Wise Men deliver the above it will improve the quality of life for patients in every country in Europe and give equally Merry Christmases and Happy New Years, now and in the future, to all citizens of the EU.  Season’s greetings to all!

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