EAPM: ראַק און פאַרהיטנדיק געזונט זאָרגן זענען העכסט פּרייאָראַטיז

גוטע נאָכמיטאָג, געזונט חברים און באַגריסונג צו דער אייראפעישער אַלליאַנסע פֿאַר פערזענליכען מעדיסינע (EAPM) דערהייַנטיקן, שרייבט EAPM עקסעקוטיווע דירעקטאָר ד"ר דעניס האָרגאַן.

Presidency makes cancer a priority

Cancer is at the top of the list when it comes to Slovenia’s EU health priorities.The Slovenian presidency will also focus on COVID-19 recovery and resilience and the presidency’s programme wants to build a European health union and support establishment of a health emergency preparedness and response authority, which aims to improve Europe’s capacity and readiness to respond to cross border health threats and emergencies such as COVID-19. 

The activities of the Slovenian Presidency will therefore focus on strengthening the EU’s effective response to health threats, exit strategies and possible future pandemics. Focus will be made on the added value of cooperation at EU level in the development and implementation of innova-tive solutions for resilient health systems, with the aim of collectively investing more effectively in improving the organisation, accessibility, quality and responsiveness of health systems and their sustain-able financing. Special attention will also be paid to the role of the EU in global health and the European Cancer Plan, which is one of the three pillars of the new European Health Union.

The consequences of COVID-19 have shown that better cooperation and effective response to crises and health emergencies require more cooperation and mutual coordination, as well as clearly defined tasks and competencies at both national and EU level. 

The Slovenian Presidency will therefore place particular emphasis on crisis preparedness and establishing response mechanisms, which is part of the European Health Union and strengthens the role of key EU health agencies (the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA)), while improving the legal framework for serious cross-border health threats. 

The Slovenian Presidency will start with the discus-sion on a legislative proposal to establish a new Health Emergency Response Authority (HERA), a structure aimed at achieving a better EU response to cross-border threats. 

אַדווערטייזמאַנט

In conjunction with the European Medicines Strategy, HERA could be key in terms of co-ordinating between different stakeholders, investing and developing support segments.In the area of availability and accessibility of medicines, the COVID-19 pandemic has further demonstrated the sensitivity of the supply of medicines and the importance of ensuring the EU’s open strategic autonomy. 

At the same time, this is an opportunity for common solutions at EU level. The Slovenian Presidency therefore wishes to stimulate discussion on new solutions at EU level, which have the potential to improve the accessibility or availability of medicines. 

All of these issues EAPM will be engaged on with the EU institutions in the coming months to build on EAPM work over recent years.

Early diagnosis is top billing for EAPM

From EAPM’s perspective, the start of the new EU Presidency sees EAPM set to push preventative health care alongside personalised medicine. Obviously, those dealing with various cancers form one of the biggest groups falling into this category, and this is טאָן just when it comes to rare cancers - which is an area in which you might reasonably expect more difficulties.

This is a crucial issue that EAPM has been working on with members over recent years, indeed, bringing it on to the political radar. EAPM’s report on our latest virtual conference, the Bridging Event that was held between the outgoing and incoming EU Presidencies, will be issued next week, and some of the core issues that EAPM has discussed are key to driving the agenda during the Slovenian EU Presidency.

Not enough early diagnosis (often through a lack of screening programmes and guidelines) and a lack of access to the best treatments available in a timely and affordable fashion are issues that have long been with us.

But the situation just got markedly worse due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

At EAPM stakeholders also aim to focus, not just on the delivery of the right treatment for the right patient at the right time, but also on the right preventative measures to ensure reliable and sustainable health care.

It is clear that investment is required in diagnostic approaches, such as the use of IVDs and more screening, certainly in lung cancer.

Treating patients has never been an easy task. In many cases truly difficult decisions need to be made. These decisions can often be made easier when clinical guidelines are in place. Also, with lung cancer being so hard to detect, there are strong arguments for agreed recommendations on screening.

MEPs want to boost the Connecting Europe Facility 

The European Parliament adopted the renewed Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme on 6 July. Part of the EU’s 2021-2027 budget, the programme with a €33.71 billion budget (in current prices) will fund key projects with the goal of digital services and connectivity in Europe. It should also support jobs, economic growth and the deployment of new technologies. MEPs succeeded in ensuring that 60% of the funds will be given to projects that help achieve the EU’s climate objectives.  All of this can be focused on health care. 

EMA reform negotiations

איינער פון די הויפּט אַבדזשעקטיווז פון די נייַע פּלאַן פון EMA כּללים איז צו געבן עס בעסער צו מאָניטאָר און רעדוצירן פּאָטענציעל און פאַקטיש דוחק פון מעדאַסאַנז און מעדיציניש דעוויסעס וואָס זענען באטראכט ווי קריטיש צו ריספּאַנד צו עמערדזשאַנסיז פון עפֿנטלעכע געזונט, אַזאַ ווי די COVID-19 פּאַנדעמיק, וואָס גילוי שאָרטקאָמינגס. אין דעם אַכטונג.

דער פאָרשלאָג איז אויך צו "ענשור די בייַצייַטיק אַנטוויקלונג פון הויך-קוואַליטעט, זיכער און עפעקטיוו מעדאַסאַנז, מיט באַזונדער טראָפּ אויף ריספּאַנדינג צו עמערגענסי פֿאַר עפֿנטלעכע געזונט" און צו "צושטעלן אַ פריימווערק פֿאַר די אָפּעראַציע פון ​​עקספּערט פּאַנאַלז וואָס אַססעסס הויך-ריזיקירן מעדיציניש דעוויסעס. צושטעלן יקערדיק עצה וועגן קריזיס פּריפּעראַדנאַס און פאַרוואַלטונג ”.

As the Commission points out, the EMA and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) have been at the forefront of the EU's work to address the coronavirus pandemic. However, Covid-19 has shown that both agencies need to be reinforced and equipped with stronger mandates to better protect EU citizens and address cross-border health threats. According to the Commission, the EMA's mandate will be reinforced so that it can facilitate a coordinated EU-level response to health crises by:

• מאָניטאָרינג און מיטאַגייטינג די ריזיקירן פון דוחק פון קריטיש מעדאַסאַנז און מעדיציניש דעוויסעס;
• providing scientific advice on medicines that may have the potential to treat, prevent or diagnose the diseases causing those crises;
• co-ordinating studies to monitor the effectiveness and safety of vaccines, and;
• co-ordinating clinical trials.

AI in health care – WHO report

The report released by the World Health Organization explains the uses of AI in health and six principles to prevent health disparities. The World Health Organization (WHO) released the first global report on artificial intelligence in health care and six principles to avoid health disparities in the field. The report, עטיקס און גאַווערנאַנס פון קינסטלעך סייכל פֿאַר געזונט, is the outcome of two years of consultations held by a panel of WHO appointed international experts. “Like all new technology, artificial intelligence holds enormous potential for improving the health of millions of people around the world, but like all technology it can also be misused and cause harm,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, MSc, WHO director-general, said in a press release. “This important new report provides a valuable guide for countries on how to maximize the benefits of AI, while minimizing its risks and avoiding its pitfalls.”

And that is all from EAPM for this 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 next week, so until then, thanks for your company, have an excellent weekend, and stay safe and well.

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