EAPM: Key health issues for the months ahead as member states work together

There are busy months ahead for the European Alliance for Personalised Medicine (EAPM), with the clocks going forward an hour and COVID-19 hopefully being brought to an end – the informal health council meeting raised key issues that will be the EAPM’s focus, and on which EAPM will be engaging with member states as well as the Council in the months ahead. The key issues from the informal council meeting are provided below, so it can be seen how member states are orientating, writes EAPM Executive Director Dr. Denis Horgan.

Portuguese EU Presidency

Portugal holds the EU Presidency at present, until the end of June – and at the recent informal video conference of 16 March concerning Europe's Beating Cancer Plan, the member state indicated that the pandemic had had an impact on the EU's attempts to combat cancer, which is the second leading cause of mortality in the EU behind cardiovascular diseases. As far as Portugal is concerned, the four key action areas are prevention, diagnosis, treatment and aftercare, adding that the debate would be steered by two questions that covered the long-term sustainability of the proposed measures in the cancer plan and how the plan would take into consideration the different starting points of member states.

Slovenia EU Presidency:  Slovenia will hold the EU Presidency from the beginning of July to end of December 2021 – during the conference, Slovenia indicated it was pleased the Cancer Plan was on the agenda and welcomed the ambitious plan, and indicated that Slovenia was drafting its third cancer plan in order to ensure long-term sustainability. It was added that the Commission working plan would need specific guidelines, and that the Cancer Plan was an important step towards an EU health union.

France:  France indicated that the plan was in line with the country’s own, and there were a number of synergies. Combating tobacco use and the drinking of alcohol whilst promoting exercise would be important, and that the country wanted to see 1 million more screenings by 2025. France also welcomed the plan by the Commission to set up an implementation group in order for MS to be as involved as possible with the decision making process. They also highlighted the key role of existing groups with particular reference to the European Parliament special committee. 

The Netherlands:  The Netherlands commended the Commission's plan and its comprehensive nature - specifically regarding tobacco prevention, the Netherlands "supported having a tobacco free generation by 2040" and underlined that this target had proved "useful in the Netherlands since 2018". The Netherlands further highlighted the importance of medical radioisotopes for the treatment and diagnostics of cancer. The Netherlands welcomed a focus on the security of supply of isotopes for the EU. Innovative treatments would help them achieve their targets, and the Netherlands would be happy to share their work regarding innovative treatments at expert level meetings.

Sweden: Sweden welcomed the debate and the plan as it was in line with their own cancer strategy - a current challenge due to the pandemic, according to Sweden, was that patients did not seek a diagnosis. Screening programmes were also not being used to the same extent as previously due to fear of the COVID virus - regular and thorough monitoring would be crucial to the success of the cancer plan and could be achieved by using key performance indicators (KPIs);underlined the importance of prevention. Sweden supported a public health approach and they looked forward to discussing them in the future - continued dialogue between member states would be crucial. 

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Spain

Spain welcomed the EU cancer plan and noted that they had recently updated their national cancer strategy, citing progress in early detection, strengthening health promotion, and a focus on health care in childcare and adolescence. Spain indicated that a clear way to make progress together would be the cancer inequalities register. Monitoring social determinants would be crucial and increased co-operation between member states would be needed - as well as work at a technical level via existing groups co-operation at the political level would also be needed. 

Belgium: Belgium congratulated the Commission on the Beating Cancer Plan. Belgium was inspired by the initiative - the impact of COVID on cancer diagnosis and treatment would be seen in the future so the plan was timely, and the country welcomed a focus on the security of supply of isotopes. Stakeholder dialogue would be crucial as too often they did not hit their screening targets.

Germany: Germany indicated that the country had taken important steps towards an EU Beating Cancer Plan, citing that early detection and prevention would be crucial, especially to prolong life for cancer sufferers. EU added value in terms of governance would be important as would a road map and inequalities register, and a solid financial framework would be vital and this decision would need to be made by MS.

Overall, Commissioner Stella Kyriakides welcomed the insightful comments and was pleased that member states shared the Commission's level of ambition, acknowledging it would be a challenging time ahead but it must not be forgotten that Europe had 10% of the global population but 25% of cancer cases. Emphasis on prevention would be crucial, Kyriakides said, and that the plan would change the lives of citizens and they should work together to make a difference.

In other news…

Coronavirus cases rise across Europe

Analysis has found that cases of coronavirus are rising in three-quarters of European countries, with the highest increases happening in central and eastern Europe. Only nine of the 40 European countries analysed recorded fewer cases in the first week of March than they did in mid-February, with Portugal, Spain and the UK registering the largest drops. Spain is the only country that has a lower case rate than it did at the end of September.

EU health programme ‘more than a reaction to the pandemic’

The European Parliament has voted through the new €5.1 billion EU health programme, EU4Health, with 631 votes in favour, 32 against and 34 abstentions. The programme was put together in the thick of the COVID-19 crisis, but it is “more than a reaction to the pandemic”, said EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides, addressing the MEPs in a debate. “With the EU4Health programme, we have the tools at hand to make long-lasting changes,” she said. EU4Health will be a key instrument in the EU’s fight against cancer, addressing lack of screening, early diagnosis and access to treatment. It will also help digitize health care and support the creation of the EU health data space, allowing open sharing of health data. Its medium-term goals include reducing health inequality in Europe. At €5.1 billion, EU4Health will be twelve times larger than its predecessor, underlining the extent to which the pandemic has moved health up the EU agenda. 

General pharmaceutical legislation

From the end of March and during April, the European Commission has announced its intention to publish a road map for the revision of the general pharmaceutical legislation (Directive 2001/83/EC and Regulation (EC) No 726/2004). “There is a need to build a holistic, patient-centered, forward-looking EU Pharmaceutical Strategy which covers the whole life-cycle of pharmaceutical products from scientific discovery to authorization and patient access,” the Commission writes. The Commission lays out issues it aims to address with the forthcoming strategy, including medicines access and affordability; shortages of needed medicines such as antibiotics and vaccines; and environmental risks related to the manufacturing, use and disposal of medicines. The document also raises three distinct issues related to pharmaceutical innovation to be addressed: the alignment of innovation and public health needs, the funding and capitalization of EU-based biotech research and barriers to innovation within the regulatory framework for medicinal products and new technologies.

That is all from EAPM for now – stay safe and well during the week, and we will be back in touch with you shortly.

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