#EAPM – Confusion reigns over return to work and health-care systems prepare

Welcome, one and all, to the first European Alliance for Personalised Medicine (EAPM) update of September. As far as is possible, most are now back at either work or school, but the big return brings its own problems in the pall of coronavirus. On with the news, writes EAPM Executive Director Denis Horgan.

Chaos with la grande rentrée

Most MEPs have already gone back or are due back at work soon. But not necessarily here in Brussels. Since the coronavirus crisis hit, the Parliament has had to get used to remote working, and with the cases rising across Europe again, that doesn’t look like it will change anytime soon, and confusion reigns concerning rules for those who are returning to Brussels from abroad, with the prospect of thousands of Eurocrats returning to Brussels sparking concern. “The instructions regarding our working methods and those of our teams in Brussels, as in Strasbourg, are not clear,” French Renew Europe MEP Chrysoula Zacharopoulou said.

Health systems brace for viral overload 

Doctors are anticipating that the collision of COVID-19 and cold and flu season could bring a new host of health-care challenges when the cold weather sets in. Researchers have said there are significant similarities between the symptoms of COVID-19 and those of a cold or flu, including coughing, congestion and body aches. This diagnostic overlap can make it difficult for doctors to distinguish the sniffles from the deadly disease, and the only way to know for sure is through testing. As school resumes, scientists say it's unclear whether classes should be closed. Health agencies are helping hospitals prepare for an influx of patients with the flu and other respiratory illness, which could burden emergency rooms, acute-care units and the availability of beds. And the World Health Organization (WHO) states that 90% of countries from five regions have seen their health systems disrupted due to coronavirus. 

Scientists look to plasma treatment

Since early in the pandemic, scientists have said antibodies that the immune system makes to fight the coronavirus could be crucial in finding a cure for COVID-19. In the US, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) recently authorized one of these treatments — convalescent plasma, in which the antibody-rich portion of blood donated by recovered COVID-19 patients is given to people hospitalized with the disease. But the approval, which came soon after President Donald Trump accused the agency of moving too slowly on the treatment for political reasons, has prompted pushback from some in the scientific community, who say more research is needed to determine if and how plasma can be effective against COVID-19. Meanwhile, research on another therapy, involving antibodies cloned in the lab, is just getting underway in human subjects. The use of convalescent plasma in medicine dates back more than a hundred years. Early results from a Mayo Clinic study suggest convalescent plasma may reduce COVID-19 mortality rates. But the study, which is available as a non-peer-reviewed preprint, wasn’t placebo-controlled, and results from rigorous clinical trials with COVID-19 convalescent plasma have yet to be published.

UK antibody tests ‘stalled’

According to the FT, the UK government “has stalled the wider rollout of antibody tests, causing companies to voice frustration at being kept out of what was sold as an inclusive and ‘world-beating’ diagnostics market”. 

Hogan update

Following Phil Hogan’s regrettable resignation last week, the European Commission is set to gain a new commissioner, and certain portfolios may change hands as a result. The three key contenders toe take the role of trade chief are Ireland’s Foreign and Defence Minister Simon Coveney, European Parliament First Vice President Mairead McGuinness and MEP Frances Fitzgerald. It is also said to be likely that Ireland will lose the trade portfolio.

Breton speaks of common coronavirus rules and EU health data consultation

Speaking in an interview with POLITICO today, Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton spoke about Brussels proposing common rules to measure the spread of coronavirus, and to identify danger areas in red, yellow and green categories.. “You may see good proposals on this. It is important that at least we have the same rules … to harmonize when a region, a city or a country is red, and then take the same decisions,” Breton said, and also expressed his desire that the Commission launch a consultation on the use of health data, he said today. “We cannot compromise [on health data]. There is nothing more important than our health data. It really belongs to us. At the same time some data can be shared, only if clearly defined and anonymously. We have to discuss it. We want to launch a consultation,” he said.

Macron wants pharmaceutical production back in France

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday (28 August) that €15 billion ($18bn) will be made available in France’s post-coronavirus recovery plan to boost innovation, industrial relocation, and pharmaceutical production. Macron’s government wants to spur companies to relocate more production back to France after the coronavirus crisis laid bare its dependence on foreign Macron said: “We need to relocate and recreate production forces on our territories. Health and industrial sovereignty will be one of the pillars of the [post-corona] recovery plan.”

Commission confirms €400M guarantee for COVAX coronavirus vaccine 

The European Commission has confirmed its interest to participate in the COVAX Facility for equitable access to affordable COVID-19 vaccines everywhere, for everyone who needs them. As part of a Team Europe effort, the Commission is today also announcing a contribution of €400 million in guarantees to support COVAX and its objectives in the context of the Coronavirus Global Response. The COVAX Facility, co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and WHO, aims to accelerate the development and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines and to guarantee fair and equitable access for every country in the world.

UK ‘extremely close’ to coronavirus vaccination 

Scientists at both Oxford University and Imperial College London are said to be “extremely close” to developing and testing a vaccine. It could then be mass produced and given to the entire population in a matter of a few months, allowing life to rapidly return to normality in 2021. Ministers, however, are remaining cautious about developments and the “reopening” of the UK. 

And that is all from EAPM for now – a hearty welcome back to all, see you later in the week.

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