#EAPM - Update: Thanks a million, Germany!

The idea is to give access to researchers to one million sequenced genomes by 2022, focused on cancer, rare diseases and more.

Of course, genomic sequencing already takes place in many EU countries, but overall the situation is fragmented, with more disconnect than connect. The project aims to rectify this situation for the ultimate benefit of Europe’s patients, now and into the future.

The European Commission says: “Linking these datasets and making them accessible in a secure way will create a greater cohort of genomic data, which will facilitate the research on innovative solutions for precision medicine and public health.”

The initiative was officially launched at the Commission’s Digital Day in April 2018, and Research Commissioner Mariya Gabriel said: “Genomic data management and interoperability is ever more important in health care, but we still need to establish standard methods and tools.”  

Commissioner Gabriel was involved at the very beginning in her then role at the EU Executive.

Meanwhile, Thierry Breton, who is the EU Internal Market Commissioner, said that Germany joining the initiative would “further enhance the collective benefit of this cooperation and its potential to bring the best possible treatment and diagnostics to the European citizens”.

Comparing cancer across the EU

We’re coming up fast on World Cancer Day (4 February) and in the interim we’ve info here for you on cancer across Europe, just as the Commission gets stuck into its Beating Cancer Plan.

The Swedish Institute of Health Economics recently released its latest and much-respected Comparator Report on Cancer in Europe. The new edition shows that cancer diagnoses are increasing, alongside cancer deaths. We’ve also got a growing population which is living longer.

The latter of course affects the former, because while cancer mortality increased by 20% from 1995-2018, taking into account population and ageing means that figure “would have decreased in almost all countries”. Meanwhile, cancer-related deaths among those below age 65 years are decreasing. 

On top of this, survival after five years has increased for most key cancers, with the indirect cost of lost working years due to early death falling from €77 billion to €70bn in Europe in that time period.

Also cash-wise, spending on cancer medicines is going through the roof, with total expenditure in Europe almost doubling between 2008-2018 to €32 billion. However, citizens don’t need to spend as much time in hospital, with ashift to outpatient services saving money. 

Unfortunately, the unequal access between rich and poor EU countries to medicines has hardly changed, with ground-breaking immunotherapy a new area of major disparities.

Overview

More than one of every four deaths (26%) in Europe is due to cancer. This makes cancer the second leading cause of death behind cardiovascular diseases. Meanwhile, the number of newly diagnosed cancer cases is on the up. In fact, cancer incidence increased by some 50% from 2.1 million to 3.1 million cases between 1995-2018 in Europe. Wow!

According to the report, a strong driver of the increase is ageing, with projections suggesting that the expected further population ageing (plus some growth) will add 775,000 cases in incidence until 2040 without further improvements in cancer care and prevention.

Speaking of prevention - between 40-45% of all cancer cases are thought to be preventable. The report therefore calls for a stronger focus on primary prevention and screening with, meanwhile, tobacco control cited as the single most important policy measure necessary. 

Generally, says the report, cancer research has been fundamental to achieving improvements in survival, by leading to advances in screening, diagnostics, and medical treatment. Research has also increased knowledge in the battle against the various cancers.

We now also have medicines targeting countless newly-identified molecular targets. Progress in diagnostics has made it easier to predict if a patient is likely to respond to a certain treatment and paved the way for personalised medicine. 

The report notes that the latest development is activating the body’s own immune system to attack a tumour, with immunotherapy now a cornerstone in multiple solid malignancies, and more than 2,000 clinical trials ongoing. 

It has been shown repeatedly that research is fundamental for achieving improvements in cancer care. The report notes that investment in basic research is often financed by public and private non-profit organisations, whereas research at a later stage is commonly financed by private for-profit organisations. 

The authors believe that “cancer research in Europe might receive greater attention and funding from public sources in the coming years by the new European Commission”, while adding that there will be stronger focus on the cost-effectiveness of new cancer medicines in the future.

New cancer committee on way

Also in relation to cancer, an idea long-championed by EAPM will see Belgian MEP Guy Verhofstadt become the president of the Conference on the Future of Europe under a deal that also sets up a special cancer committee.

The EPP will create and lead this much-needed committee, which is part of a larger, cross-party deal. Regardless of how they did it - the committee is important.

According to reports, the special committee could lift much of the cancer discussion out of the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee and will need formal approval from the Parliament’s plenary. 

Finally in this section…back to the upcoming World Cancer Day, which will see a dedicated event in the European Parliament under the banner of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan - Let’s Strive For More.

As well as speeches from Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides, Mairead McGuinness, Vice-President of the European Parliament, and others, attendees can expect two ‘intermezzos’. 

Now that’s music to our ears…

EU to set the pace on A.I. laws

The European Union wants to be first out of the starting blocks when it comes to passing laws for artificial intelligence, with the first step a white paper to be published post-19 February, the day that Commission Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager will present a draft to her colleagues. 

The draft flags up rules seeking to identify problems before they occur, and to shape the way businesses and authorities behave when they develop or apply AI. 

Meanwhile, in spring, the Commission’s high-level external group will release an update to its checklist for companies on whether the way they use AI can be considered “trustworthy.” 

Drugs, medical devices and ENVI

We mentioned the European Parliament’s Environment, Public Health and Food Safety committee a little earlier, and we can tell you that it has called on the EU and the UK to “ensure continued and rapid access to safe medicines and medical devices for patients”.

The committee added that the two sides should also work toward “mutual recognition of professional qualifications to ensure the mobility of medical professionals”. Brexit negotiators please take note.

HTA and drug pricing latest

Croatia’s Health Minister Milan Kujundžić has responded to criticism from MEPs that his country’s EU Presidency doesn’t have plans for moving the HTA file forward. 

The minister told Politico that his government is aware of the difficulties, which is “why we will encourage the dialogue on this file, and we intend to continue to discuss key aspects of the proposal in the Council preparatory bodies”.

Kujundžić added that several meetings are planned while stressing “that we are committed to work very hard toward finding an acceptable solution in the Council”.

On the price of medicines, Minister Kujundžić has said that the EU should come together to negotiate lower prices, especially for expensive and innovative cancer treatments.

He said: “We as a whole can speak to industry and get as low prices as possible for treatment,” adding that the EU should “stand together and find consensus” in the future on medicines prices.

Various countries have tried this as groups, but Minister Kujundžić is obviously keen to expand upon that. Good for him!

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