Newsletter August 2007

Exploring joint research projects on the right to health and access to health care, 15-16 November 2007

This workshop was organised by EPHA within the framework of the STACS project, which receives funds from the 6th Framework Programme of DG Research. The STACS project The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) is one of the partners of the STACS (Science, Technology and Civil Society) project, whose purpose is to support the active participation of civil society organisations in research projects. The STACS project brings together a consortium of six organisations coordinated by the (...)

IGC talks on Reform Treaty: Health provisions at stake!

EPHA’s comments on the on-going Treaty revision are based on the experience of campaigning during the debate on the drafting of the Treaty. Individual EPHA members working at national or regional levels may have a different viewpoint. This is not a legal, scientific nor academic interpretation. Updated with the changes announced at the June 2007 Council Summit and the agreement reached by Member States on 19 October 2007. This article compares the legal provisions on public health (...)

2007 IGC talks: EU leaders reach agreement on a ’Reform Treaty’

On 19 October 2007, the 27 Member States finally reached agreement on the text of the Reform Treaty which will be formally adopted on 13 December in Lisbon, Portugal. In June, EU leaders agreed on the mandate for the 2007 Inter-governmental conference (IGC), to draft the Reform Treaty after the ’Constitutional Treaty’ of 2004 was rejected by popular referenda in France and the Netherlands. The final text differs from the original mandate in several areas. The Reform Treaty (...)

Joint statement on the way forward for health information launched!

**This article has been updated with the latest developments concerning the Statement on Information to Patients** During the course of the summer, a group of various health NGOs jointly collaborated to write a statement outlining the future steps to be taken by policy-makers. The overarching aim was to maintain public health concerns at the heart of the political initiatives on information to patients. The statement was endorsed by 21 organisations. It was sent to the Steering Committee (...)

Meeting of the food and nutrition working group, September 2007

This article has been updated with the discussion on 14 September 2007 with EPHA members on EPHA’s participation in the EU Platform on Diet, PA and Health and the EFSA Stakeholder consultative platform. On 14 September 2007 EPHA organised a meeting with EPHA members to discuss EPHA’s participation to the following platforms dealing with nutrition issues: The EU Platform on Diet, Physical Activity and Health (organised by DG Sanco) The Stakeholder Consultative Platform of (...)

EMEA improves provision of information for patients and consumers

This article is updated with information relative to the ’clinical trials meeting’ organised by the EMEA on 3 October 2007. Outcomes of the clinical trials meeting The activities of the meeting on clinical trials organised by the EMEA on 3 October 2007 focused on strengths and shortcomings of the current legal framework. No general consensus was risen in this matter. In particular, the debate was characterised by diverging opinions on the directive’s quality. A call for (...)

Meeting of the alcohol working group, October 2007

This article has been updated with the documents: summary on Alcohol Strategy and Alcohol Health Forum, EPHA discussion paper on participation in EU Alcohol Forum, and EPHA discussion paper on participation in EU Civil Society Forum on Drugs. As agreed in the Policy Coordination Meeting of 18 July, the meeting planned on 10 September to discuss EPHA’s participation to the following forums dealing with alcohol and drugs issues was hold on 15 October at 13.OO in Brussels with EPHA (...)

Secretariat News August 2007

EPHA is still in the process of recruiting a Secretary General. Deadline for applications is the 10 September 2007. Events organised by EPHA Meetings and events attended by EPHA Caroline and Lara met two representatives from the North West England Office working on health issues in Brussels. From 27 to 28 August 2007 Frazer Goodwin attended the European regional consultative meeting of WHOs intergovernmental Working group on public health innovation and intellectual proerty rights in (...)

Indian Court rejects Novartis challenge to generics

The high court in Madras has rejected the Novartis challenge to Indian Patent laws. Campaigners for access to essential medicines have welcomed the courts ruling, having feared that any other judgement would have jeopardised the large scale generic drug manufacturing industry in India. The company had claimed that Indian patent law did not comply with the country’s Constitution following the rejection of their patent application for a cancer drug "Glevic". The full text of the (...)

Annual Conference of Health Action International, October 2007

Health Action International, an EPHA member, will hold its annual conference and assembly in Brussels on 12-14 October 2007. This is advance notice of the HAI Europe annual general meeting. This year it will be held in Brussels on Friday 12, Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 October. There will be an Open Seminar featuring current European issues (e.g. DTCA, Pharmacovigilance, Patients’ organisations) on the Friday; members of the HAI Europe Association will be meeting on the Saturday and (...)