Research

New tool for scientific input into policy-making

The Commission has launched a new e-Network designed to make scientific advice more available to policy-makers at the EU and national level called SINAPSE (Scientific Information for Policy Support in Europe). The new web-platform is to promote and encourage exchange of information between policy-makers and the scientific community. It will aim to be: A library of scientific opinion and advice A tool for the Commission to consult the scientific community An early-warning system A (...)

Positive emotions benefit health

There is increasing scientific interest in the possibility that positive emotional states are beneficial to health. Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore have recently shown for the first time that laughter is linked to healthy function of blood vessels. Volunteers were shown funny and stressful movies to test the effect of emotions on blood vessels. Stress caused blood flow to slow by around 35%, but laughter increased it by around 22%. The current (...)

Health Action International on European medicines’ policy

Health Action International-Europe (HAI), an EPHA member, has recently published three new position papers on key issues affecting European medicines’ policy. "Running on empty: Medicines’ production and the absence of innovation" lays out HAI’s view that the pharmaceutical industry does not and will not produce medicines geared to public need - i.e. geared to priority conditions, at affordable prices and of genuine therapeutic advance. It concludes by urging (...)

Petition to WHO on research and development of medicines

On 24 February 2005, 162 non-governmental organisations, academics and politicians issued an open letter urging the World Health Organisation to evaluate the draft Medical Research and Development Treaty that has been drawn up over the past two years by a group of economists, scientists and public health experts Existing trade agreements designed to bolster medical R&D investments focus nearly exclusively on stronger intellectual property rights and higher drug prices. This approach (...)

EU scientists find no link between parabens and breast cancer

Parabens are a group of chemicals widely used as preservatives in food products, medicines and cosmetics such as lipsticks and deodorants. The Cosmetic Directive of 1976 sets the maximum concentration for their use in cosmetic products. Since then, a number of scientific publications have suggested a link between breast cancer and the use of paraben-containing deodorants and antiperspirants. DG SANCO requested an opinion from the Scientific Committee on Consumer Products (SCCP) . The (...)

Third Ministerial Conference on eHealth

eHealth is the use of information technologies, especially the Internet, to enhance the quality and accessibility of health services. Applications range from simple administrative tools such as managing patient databases to complex clinical applications which can support the clinician in diagnosis and treatment. As part of an overall approach to increasing the uptake of new technologies, the European Commission has managed an eHealth programme for several years. The third Ministerial (...)

New Call for Proposals for EU funding on Emerging Science and Technology

The European Commission’ s DG Research has launched a call for proposals under the budgetline New and Emerging Science and Technology (NEST). The deadline for application is April 13 2005. INSIGHT projects INSIGHT projects must demonstrate an anticipatory function. They are scientific investigations designed to provide identification and clarification of discoveries and phenomena that could lead to potential risks for the society. They should aim at developing scientific (...)

ECDC Director committed to improve public health in Europe

Mrs Zsuzsanna Jakab begun working as the first Director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), in March 2005. Objectives of the ECDC Speaking at the European Parliament’s Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) Committee hearing on Monday 10 January 2005, she asserted very clearly 4 broad functions for the future ECDC : Organising and coordinating the collaboration between EU institutions, Member States and other partners such as the World (...)

Exploring the future of ’Science Shops’

The European Commission hosted a conference to review the successes of a network of Science Shops and explored opportunities to enlarge the network of partners. The EPHA Secretariat attended the meeting organised by the DG Research together with representatives from NGO’s, Universities and existing Science Shops from throughout Europe. Science shops are organisations created as mediators between citizen groups (trade unions, pressure groups, non-profit organisations, social groups, (...)

Regional view on health from Finland

A number of European regional representatives, EU officials and met in Brussels to discuss how regional authorities could address health issues. Key health determinants were addressed at the conference which highlighted the results of the "Health Kuopio" project: healthy ageing, food and nutrition, pharmaceuticals, environment and e-Health. The Finnish region of Kuopio is developing a science park in cooperation with the University of Kuopio and the private sector. This partnership is (...)