#EAPM - Search for 'Fountain of Youth' fails to make Congress agenda…

We are drawing ever-nearer to EAPM’s second annual Congress in Milan (26-28 November) and registration will be coming to a close in the next few days, so now is a good time to get on board, here, writes European Alliance for Personalised Medicine (EAPM) Executive Director Denis Horgan.

More than 700 stakeholders have already put their names down for the event, which comes under the banner ‘Forward as one: Integrating Innovation into Europe’s Health Care Systems’.

Unlike the 69-year-old Dutchman in the news lately, who is trying to legally alter his age to 49 to get better reactions on dating sites, we will not be searching for the Fountain of Youth when in Italy.

But we can assure you that there will, indeed, be a foundation of knowledge and ideas relating to how to bring innovation into health-care systems in the fast-moving era of personalised medicine.

EAPM’s second annual Congress has, like the first edition and several Presidency conferences, pulled together leading experts in the fast-moving healthcare arena. This year we are also delighted to be working in partnership with the Lombardy Region.

And as well as the topics you would expect, attendees can reflect on the fact that the European Commission’s DG SANTE Director General Anne Bucher - in the job just a few short weeks - has vowed to build on the work of Xavier Prats Monné, her predecessor, saying she will “stick to very strong priorities on health.” 

Bucher used an analogy of the V-shape of flying geese when stressing that communication and co-operation are key in the sector. In such a formation, she says, the geese “fly 70% more than…on their own”. 

She’s right, you know…

And another current topic for discussion comes on the back of Parliament’s Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee (ENVI) adopting 11 compromise amendments in respect of what’s been called the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+).

One of the compromises would boost funding for the health strand from the Commission’s proposed €413 million to €473m between 2021-2027.

Rapporteur Cristian-Silviu Bușoi, a long-time supporter of EAPM and its goals, is against plans to put the health budget under the larger umbrella of ESF+, with ENVI noting that he “regrets” the withdrawal of health as a separate and robust programme, “finds unacceptable the proposed decrease of funding for health” and argues for increasing the budget to alt least the same level as in the current Multiannual Financial Framework.

Well done, Cristian.

Meanwhile, in Spain, the Health Ministry has put forward a strategic plan ensuring access to CAR-T therapies, via  a two-tiered organizational model.

One part will designate reference centres to use CAR-T therapies, and there is no argument there, but proposals for the second tier have been taken to mean that the country wants to designate Spanish manufacturing sites for CAR-T therapies.

This isn’t how things work at the moment, with approved therapies only being made in New Jersey (Novartis) and California (Gilead).

Congress will be following all of the above closely, and the right people will be doing that following, as hundreds of Life Sciences thought leaders will be Milan when EAPM brings together key audiences who contribute to the vast programme content and vital knowledge exchange.

Large numbers of industry professionals, government regulators, patients, researchers, academia, health-care professionals, journalists and exhibitors will be there to drive insights into action and, more than ever this year, a focus will be on the upcoming European Parliament elections and the installation of a new College of Commissioners.

These institutions will be tasked with devising and implementing regulatory frameworks in all areas, including health of course.

One of the key goals of Congress is to engage politicians and lawmakers in the fast-growing field of personalised medicine and deliver political asks through our consensus-based process. Click here to see programme.

Europe needs to grasp the fact that health equals wealth and that investment in research and innovation, alongside laws and rules that are fit-for-purpose and reflect the swiftly changing world of medicine, are vital. 

There needs to be encouragement and incentives for those looking to invest and innovate in Europe. We have the skills and facilities within the bloc but currently lack an ideal environment that will ensure better access to treatment for patients.   

Innovation and the incentives for it are vital to health and wealth in the current EU-28 (and will be even more important after the UK leaves next year). It also encourages investment from outside of the EU, clearly good for business and jobs.

More topics covered at the event will include a two-day track on the MEGA initiative that is gaining considerable traction. MEGA stands for Million European Genomes Alliance and the joint declaration by a coalition of willing member states in April indicated political support for linking existing and future genomic databanks, on a voluntary basis, in order to reach a cohort of one million sequenced genomes accessible in the EU by 2022. 

Also up for discussion at the Congress will be a multitude of disease areas, the ongoing debate on HTA, men’s health and a plethora of other relevant topics - all under the umbrella of facilitating innovation.

We are confident that the Congress will allow you all to air yours views prior to delivering key aspects to decision makers at European, national and regional levels. This will effectively allow for a bridge to representatives in various policy areas.

So DO join us in Milan…Register here.

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