public health

Medical Devices proposal: more than 1,000 amendments to be discussed

More than 1,000 amendments will be discussed today (29 May) during the European Parliament’s Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) meeting on the proposals for a Medical Devices Regulation and the In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices Regulation. An overview of key issues is provided below. On 3 and 12 April 2013, the European Parliament’s Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) published two draft reports amending the (...)

[2013 Patients’ Rights Day] Putting patients in the driver’s seat

On the occasion of 2013 Patients’ Rights Day (May 15) EPHA would like to stress that, although much progress has been made, there is still a lot of scope for health systems to benefit from an obvious, yet commonly underutilized and underestimated resource: patients themselves. As patients and consumers of health services - and we all fall into this category throughout our lives - we build up an enormous amount of knowledge over the years that takes various forms. Some individuals, (...)

[EPHA’s 20th anniversary series] There is no time like the present

While generally speaking, political change in Brussels tends to be tremendously slow, twenty years are a sufficiently long period of time to have witnessed some crucial changes in the continent’s public health sphere. At the time of EPHA’s inception in 1993, Article 129 of the Maastricht Treaty had just equipped the European Commission with a limited but important legal coordinating role in the field of public health with a focus on prevention, health promotion and protection. (...)

[Joint media reaction] Minimum Alcohol Price: Scottish High Court on the side of public health

Brussels, 3 May – Today, the Scottish Government has won a case on Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) for alcohol (1) in the Scottish High Court - the first legally-binding minimum price on alcohol within the EU. Now the alcohol industry will have 21 days to decide whether it has grounds for appeal. MUP sets a floor price below which alcohol cannot be legally sold and unlike taxation, MUP prices alcoholic beverages based on their strength. Alcohol misuse hits the poor badly, most of whom (...)

[Save the date] EPHA 4th Annual Conference 4-5 September 2013, Brussels

On 4 and 5 September 2013 the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) will celebrate 20 years of helping shape Europe’s public health. EPHA is using this milestone as an opportunity to look at how we can foster an EU that is coherent in its decisions, in terms of fostering the health and well-being of people living in Europe. Brave New World: Inclusive Growth and Well-Being or Vested Interests and Lost Generations? (Venue: The International Association Centre (IAC) 40, Rue (...)

[European Observatory] Venice Summer School 2013

The European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and the Veneto Region of Italy are organising a Summer School with the title “Time for Change: Innovative Ways of Improving Population Health†The European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and the Veneto Region of Italy are organising a Summer School with the title “Time for Change: Innovative Ways of Improving Population Health” European countries increasingly recognize the importance of (...)

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) publishes list of drugs under additional monitoring

As one of the deliverables of the pharmacovigilance legislation, that came into effect in July 2012, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) released an initial list of drugs subject to additional monitoring on 25 April 2013. Please click here to read the full EMA Press Release, which contains additional information. How to identify them? Medicines subject to additional monitoring will have to display an inverted back triangle in their package leaflet and in the information for healthcare (...)

Clinical trials: Exploring the limits of transparency

Glenis Willmott MEP (S&D, UK) took the initiative to bring together experts to discuss the extent to which more transparency could be workable in non-commercial clinical trials. The debate, which took place in the European Parliament on 10 April, served to present the key arguments for and against increased transparency in the context of administrative and data reporting requirements for academic researchers and patient safety. EPHA’s Position on Clinical Trials urges political (...)

[Evening reception, 24 April] Alcohol & cancer: a report from the Royal College of Physicians & the Alcohol Health Alliance UK

You are cordially invited to join Alex Neil, Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Health and Well-being & representatives from governments, non-governmental organisations, leading academics and Members of the European Parliament for an EVENING RECEPTION and European launch of Alcohol and cancer: a report from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and the Alcohol Health Alliance UK (AHA). European Parliament (Brussels) 24 April 2013, from 19:00 Co-hosted by Rebecca Taylor MEP (UK, ALDE) (...)

[EPT] Medical devices - Regulation (recast) - Medical devices and in vitro diagnostic medical devices (17 April 2013)

Medical devices and in vitro diagnostic medical devices. The term “medical device” covers an extremely diverse range of healthcare instruments – from simple bandages and dressings to tongue depressors, medical thermometers and blood sugar meters to pacemakers and life-supporting products, as well as eHealth devices which communicate remotely. The medical devices industry constitutes a key sector for healthcare. It is one of the most dynamic sectors, improving and saving (...)