Connect with us

European Alliance for Personalised Medicine

EAPM: Health priorities in Strasbourg, busy schedule ahead for Parliament

SHARE:

Published

on

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Good afternoon, health colleagues, and welcome to the first European Alliance for Personalised Medicine (EAPM) update of the week – the report on our latest virtual conference, the Bridging Event that was held between the outgoing and incoming EU Presidencies, attended by 164 delegates, will be available later this week, and will also be sent to the Slovenian prime minister, writes EAPM Executive Director Dr. Denis Horgan.

Slovenia lays out health priorities

Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša is expected at the European Parliament in Strabourg today (6 July), where he’ll lay out the priorities for his country’s presidency of the European Council. Prime Minister Janša recalled the various crises that the EU has experienced over the last few years, ranging from financial issues, to migration, Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic, all of which has forced the European Union to be more strategic and focus on foreign policy. In addition, representatives from Slovenia, which has just taken over the rotating Council presidency, say they believe they might be able to finish all three of the health union files by the end of the year. That includes both the EMA reform as well as the proposal to strengthen the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the new Regulation on serious cross-border threats to health. Considering the grueling three-year-long journey that the joint Health Technology Assessment regulation took before all the parts came to an agreement, that would be lightning fast – these will be crucial issues that EAPM is working on, particularly on the issue of early diagnosis.

Under the slogan ‘Together. Resilient. Europe.’, the Slovenian presidency will focus on recovery and resilience, translating ambitious green goals into binding legislation, strategic autonomy, the digital transition, rule of law and the protection of external borders. Regarding the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE), the prime minister stressed that all points of views will be welcomed in the debates. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen highlighted ongoing work on recovery programmes in member states and the need to progress with vaccination campaigns. She called for support on EU values, adding that financial interests and media freedom must be protected, and diversity preserved. Most MEPs welcomed the Slovenian presidency’s priorities.

Commission to invest €14.7 billion from Horizon Europe for health

The Commission has adopted the main work programme of Horizon Europe for the period 2021-2022, which outlines the objectives and specific topic areas that will receive a total of €14.7 billion in funding, and will contribute to sustainable recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and to EU resilience against future crises. They will support European researchers through fellowships, training and exchanges, build more connected and efficient European innovation ecosystems and create world-class research infrastructures. Moreover, they will encourage participation across Europe and from around the world, while at the same time strengthening the European Research Area.

Securing the future for health

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a serious impact. Although Europe’s response has demonstrated strengths, existing vulnerabilities have been thrown into sharp focus, including those related to data availability, the supply of medicines and the availability of capacity to adapt and support medicine production. The conclusion of advance purchase agreements for vaccines is nevertheless an example of effective cooperation between public and regulatory authorities, industry and civil society.

Advertisement

The anticipated widespread and equitable availability of safe and effective vaccines in record time raises hope for an exit from the crisis, providing inspiration for a renewed, innovative, patient-centred pharmaceutical sector.

A new EU approach must ensure a fair, competitive and green industry that delivers for patients, drawing on the potential of the digital transformation of health and care and driven through advances in fields such as AI and computational modelling. We need well-functioning international supply chains and a well-performing single market for pharmaceuticals, through an approach that covers the entire lifecycle from production to disposal. The Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe, adopted at the end of 2020, aims to create a future-proof regulatory framework and to support industry in promoting research and technologies that actually reach patients to meet their therapeutic needs while addressing market failures.

It is based on four pillars: ensuring access to affordable medicines for patients and addressing unmet medical needs, supporting the competitiveness, innovation and sustainability of the EU’s pharmaceutical industry and the development of high-quality, safe, effective and greener medicines, enhancing crisis preparedness and response mechanisms, diversified and secure supply chains, address medicines shortages and ensuring a strong EU voice by promoting high-quality efficacy and safety standards.

EU Digital COVID Certificate under fire for ‘inequalities in access’

The African Union (AU) has criticised the EU’s Digital COVID Certificate (EUDCC) for creating “inequalities in access” by not recognizing the Covishield vaccine. Covishield is the Indian counterpart of AstraZeneca-Oxford developed Vaxzervria and is identical to the one made in Europe. It has been widely distributed in many low and middle-income countries through the EU-supported COVAX programme. However the vaccine has not been included on the EUDCC because it is not approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). In a joint statement, the African Union (AU) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention urged the European Commission “to consider increasing mandatory access to those vaccines deemed suitable for global rollout through the EU-supported COVAX facility.” Some EU countries including Austria, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain have chosen to independently recognise the Covishield vaccination.

The EUDCC, which came into force on 1 July, allows unrestricted travel for EU citizens and third country nationals legally staying or resident in the EU, who have had Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca-Oxford or Johnson & Johnson vaccinations. According to the AU, excluding people who have received the Covishield vaccine from the scheme could cause “considerable administrative and financial implications”.

In the UK, fears were raised that five million citizens would face EU travel restrictions, because they had received a version of Oxford/AstraZeneca jab manufactured in India. However, a British government spokesperson confirmed that all AstraZeneca vaccines given in the UK would appear on the NHS Covid Pass as Vaxzevria and they were “confident travel will not be affected”. Meanwhile, the airline industry has raised concerns about “fragmented” implementation of the EUDCC scheme in EU countries. In a joint letter, four airline associations called on EU heads of state to harmonize verification standards and protocols for the certificates: “The availability of such a certificate [the EUDCC], with its potential to significantly facilitate free safe movement across all EU member states and certain associated countries, is a significant step forward.”

EU says it plans more COVID-19 vaccine donations as world faces ‘two-track pandemic’

The world is facing a "two-track pandemic" with some countries being hit by waves of hospitalization and deaths, compounded by coronavirus variants, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), said today. John Ryan, a senior European Commission health official, told a briefing that the bloc hoped to donate a further 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to low and middle income countries by year-end, using the COVAX facility as the main channel.

That is all from EAPM until later in the week, so until then, have an excellent week, and stay safe and well.

Share this article:

EU Reporter publishes articles from a variety of outside sources which express a wide range of viewpoints. The positions taken in these articles are not necessarily those of EU Reporter.

Trending