Access to Medicines

Unveiling the Danish Presidency health priorities

From the 1st January to the 30 June 2012, Denmark will hold the Presidency of the Council of the EU, with four overarching priorities: a responsible Europe; a dynamic Europe; A green Europe; a safe Europe. In the health field, the Danish presidency will prioritise six main issues. 1 Action Programme in the Field of Health In 2011, the European Commission presented its proposal for a new Framework Programme in the field of Health called Health For Growth. The Danish Presidency plans to (...)

European Parliament stance on antimicrobial resistance

The European Parliament adopted a resolution requesting tighter controls on the use of antimicrobials - such as antibiotics. The resolution is non-binding on the EU and its Member States but gives a strong signal on what the European Parliament expects on the issue. The European Parliament adopted a resolution requesting tighter controls on the use of antimicrobials - such as antibiotics. The resolution is non-binding on the EU and its Member States but gives a strong signal on what the (...)

Migrants in an irregular situation: access to healthcare in 10 European Union Member States

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights published a report looking at the barriers that migrants in an irregular situation face when accessing healthcare in 10 European Member States. The report documents the legal, economic and practical obstacles that hinder undocumented migrants’ access to healthcare. It forms part of a bigger European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights about the access to rights and services for irregular migrants, people who live in the EU without (...)

Fourth International Influenza Conference highlights gap between vaccination recommendations and practice

The Fourth International Influenza Conference in Malta underlined the need to forge closer links between science and policy, and to address the ongoing dichotomy between the recognised need to vaccinate at-risk groups and the reluctance of individuals - including health professionals - to comply with WHO and EU recommendations. EPHA was invited to attend the Fourth International Influenza Conference in Malta, which brought together leading scientists, academics, policy makers and industry (...)

EMA Patients’ and Consumers’ Working Party Meeting September 2011

On Tuesday 13 September the European Medicines Agency convened a meeting of its Human Scientific Committees’ Working Party with Patients’ and Consumers’ Organisations (PCWP). The meeting addressed a number of different issues on the European Medicines’ Agency agenda which affect patients’ and consumers’ organisations. The meeting covered 3 areas of the agencies work: 1. Pharmacovigilance legislation A presentation was given on how patient reporting can (...)

EPHA position on the identification of commercially confidential information and protection of personal data

EPHA response to the consultation from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and Heads of Medicines Agencies (HMA) on the identification of commercially confidential information and protection of personal data within the structure of the Marketing Authorisation dossier

Research organisations launch joint statement on clinical trials

EPHA members Cancer Research UK and European CanCer Organisation (ECCO) have joined together with other non-commercial and commercial organisations to produce a joint statement on the revision of the EU Clinical Trials Directive. The 16 signing organisations, which include many pan-European organisations, have urged the European Commission to overhaul the Clinical Trials Directive 2001/20/EC to remove some of the administrative burden of setting up and conducting research. They argue that (...)

European Medicines Agency recommends restricting use of Pandemrix

The European Medicines Agency has recommended restricting use of Pandemrix, the vaccine issued following the outbreak of pandemic flu H1N1 in 2009. The review of Pandemrix was initiated to investigate a possible link between Pandemrix vaccination and narcolepsy, following an increased number of reported cases of narcolepsy among children and adolescents in Finland and Sweden following the H1N1 pandemic vaccination campaign in late 2009 and early 2010. The EMA was satisfied, after reviewing (...)

European Parliament health committee opinion on public procurement

The European Parliament’s ENVI Committee has adopted its opinion on the modernisation of EU public procurement policy, prepared by rapporteur Åsa Westlund (S&D, Sweden). The opinion contains a number of the suggestions brought forward by EPHA in its consultation response earlier this year. The ENVI opinion follows the Green Paper on the ’’Modernisation of EU public procurement policy: Towards a more efficient European Procurement Market’’ of January 2011, (...)

Pressure mounts for a new form of medical innovation to improve access to medicines

A second meeting has been hosted in the European Parliament by Carl Schlyter (Greens-EFA, Sweden) on the subject of improving access to medicines though Medical Innovation Prizesand civil society is uniting to put pressure on the European Institutions to support a model of medical innovation which meets public health need. The meeting was co-organised by EPHA member Health Action International (HAI) an independent, global network working to increase access to essential medicines and (...)