News
Update November 2020
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Our November Update provides insights on BioMed Alliance activities and EU policy developments that occurred during this month. This time you will find more information about: our General Assembly, our new member ESHG, the BioMedScape webinar, our work on the revision of the Code of Conduct and creation of a new DoI form, EU proposals for a EU Health Union, the negotiations on the next EU budget, upcoming activities and members’ news.
ESHG joins BioMed Alliance
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The BioMed Alliance continues to grow and is excited to welcome the European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG) to its membership base. The European Society of Human Genetics joined in November, just a couple of weeks before our General Assembly celebrating the 10 years of BioMed. It is the 35th member of the Alliance.
ESHG was founded in 1967 and its aims are to promote research in basic and applied human and medical genetics, to ensure high standards in clinical practice and to facilitate contacts between all persons who share these aims. ESHG strives for the integration of scientific research and its implementation in the clinical field as well as for education of specialists and the public in all areas of medical and human genetics. It gathers today around 3,000 affiliated members.
'EU Health Summit 2020: Time for action'
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The 'EU Health Summit 2020: Time for action' on 26 October was a multi-stakeholder event which aimed to develop implementing actions based on a set of 10 recommendations the future of health in Europe. The event was very successful, gathering more than 600 participants, and featuring among other speakers Commissioner Stella Kyriakides and German Health Minister Jens Spahn. They pointed out their vision on the future European healthcare, including the necessity to bring back the manufacturing of medicines and medical devices to Europe and the creation of the European Health Data Space facilitating health data exchange.
Biomedical Alliance in Europe President Wilfried Ellmeier led the breakout session on Research and Innovation with a panel of three influential speakers. Discussions highlighted that European support, coordination, and cooperation in health research are key.
During the session, Professor Martin Landray (ESC) explained the impact of COVID-19 on clinical trials and that clinical trials must be changed for more flexibility, collaboration and multidisciplinary efforts. Doctor Cristina Bescos (EIT Health) emphasised that the EU is lagging for innovation compared to other jurisdictions; more international cooperation and new business models are key to successful transform research and innovation. Finally, Sabrina Montante (ISS - National Institute of Health in Italy) underlined as well that European coordination is necessary to avoid duplication of efforts. She also warned about the fragmentation of the different funds, and the need to translate scientific research to policymakers with a common language.
Professor Ellmeier pointed out that there are exciting EU policy instruments such as Horizon Europe, the EU4health Programme, the Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe or the new proposed European Biomedical Research and Development Agency that should contribute to the creation of a long-term ecosystem and ensure that Europe will be a true research and innovation hub.
For more information, visit the website of the European Health Coalition here
The recordings of the Summit are available here
Update October 2020
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Take a look at our October Update for an overview of all latest BioMed Alliance activities. In this edition you will find more information about: the EU Health Summit, our Open Access policy statement, the BioMed Alliance General Assembly, a new blog post on regulatory affairs and their importance to doctors, former MEP Petra de Sutter’s new position as deputy prime-minister, a workshop series on the use of real-world data for healthcare purposes, upcoming events and news from our members.
New BioMed Alliance Statement: Open Access Initiatives must not create inequality
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In a new statement published on 5 October, medical societies from the Open Access Transition Working Group of the BioMed Alliance highlight a series of concerns around Plan S. They also express their support for a European Research Council statement from 20 July stating the ERC’s concerns around this open access initiative and announcing their withdrawal from cOAlition S.
The main concerns of BioMed Alliance regarding Plan S are focussed on the consequences for: researchers (including inequality and rising costs), guaranteeing the quality of research (especially in health research) and hybrid journals (which play an essential role in informing health care professionals through medical society publications).
The full statement is available here.
Update September 2020
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Our September Update is out now, providing an overview of the latest news about EU Affairs and the BioMed Alliance. In this Update, you will find more information on: the focus on health in the State of the European Union, our recent HTA Statement, the need to address bureaucracy in clinical trials, a new course on COVID-19 Skills, the soon to be established Innovation Forum and upcoming BioMed Alliance events. We have also launched a new section with news from BioMed Alliance members.
Read the update here
Reducing bureaucracy in clinical trials: now is the time!
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Medical societies and patient advocates across disciplines call for urgent action to make clinical trials less bureaucratic and more patient-centered, efficient and cheaper.
Excessive administrative demands lead to rising costs and complexity, stagnation of clinical research in Europe, fewer academic clinical trials and limited access to innovative treatments. Unnecessary, inefficient, overly complex or ambiguously worded regulations, guidelines, safety reporting requirements and informed consent procedures pose a threat to exactly that which they were designed to protect: the quality of clinical trials and the safety of patients.
That more flexible, risk-based and pragmatic regulation is possible, without compromising either quality or safety, was demonstrated by the guidance issued by European regulators on the management of clinical trials during the Covid-19 pandemic. A substantial and structural reduction of bureaucracy in clinical trials must be the shared goal of clinical researchers, patient advocates, policymakers and regulators at EU and national levels, ethics committees and the pharmaceutical industry.
At stake is the efficiency and affordability of clinical trials, and with it the quality of future health care and – ultimately and most importantly – patient safety.
Read the statement here.
COVID-19 Skills Preparation Course
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BioMed Alliance member ESICM is undertaking a training programme, financed by the European Commission, of a multidisciplinary pool of healthcare professionals supporting and assisting ICUs in times of need due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The training will provide intensive care medical skills to doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals not regularly working in ICUs and will be available cost-free across the EU and UK until the end of 2020. More information on registration is available here.
EU Health Summit 2020: Time for Action
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The next EU health Summit will take place online on 26 October 2020. The BioMed Alliance and its partners in the coalition have now confirmed a number of high-level speakers including Commissioner for Health Stella Kyriakides and Research Commissioner Mariya Gabriel. In addition, German Minister of Health Jens Spahn will speak to participants in a video message.
There will be 4 parallel break-out sessions which each focus on a different aspect of health policy: digital health and health data, healthcare systems, policies for health and research and innovation. The BioMed Alliance will lead a breakout session on Research Policy and is planning to organise an interesting panel discussion featuring researchers, policy makers and other stakeholders.
More information on registration and the programme are now available here.
The BioMed Alliance is looking for an intern
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Update: We are currently no longer accepting new applications.
Would you like to join our small team and work on EU health policy? The BioMed Alliance is looking for a motivated intern interested in EU affairs to help us represent medical societies at EU level. More information on the position and the application process is available here.
Update August 2020
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Take a look at our Update August for the latest news on the BioMed Alliance and EU affairs.
BioMed Alliance calls for progress on EU-level HTA
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In a new statement published on 3 September, the BioMed Alliance calls on the German Council Presidency to guide Member States into adopting a position on the Regulation for Cooperation on Health Technology Assessment as soon as possible. The statement also recalls a previous BioMed Alliance statement from 2019 calling for the proposal to swiftly be adopted. Since then, limited progress has been made.
Cooperation on HTA has numerous benefits for the European health system and could enhance coordination, reduce duplication, improve efficiency, reduce costs and lead to better treatments for patients. The coronavirus crisis has illustrated the importance of having a legally sound and functioning HTA system in place that could help the EU to prepare for future health crises.
Read the statement here, and our previous statement from 2019 here.
ESCMID joins BioMed Alliance
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The BioMed Alliance continues to grow and is excited to welcome ESCMID to its membership base. The European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases joined in the end of July. It is the 34th member of the Alliance.
ESCMID was founded in 1983 and its mission is to improve the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of infection-related diseases. This is achieved by promoting and supporting research, education, training, and good medical practice. It brings together microbiologists and infectious disease specialists and currently has more than 8,500 individual and 30,000 affiliated members around the world.
Update July 2020
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A new edition of our newsletter is out, if you are looking for summer reading material then take a look at the July Update for the latest information on BioMed Alliance activities and relevant news around EU Affairs.
Save the date: EU Health Summit takes place on 26 October
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The EU Health Coalition, in which the BioMed Alliance is an active member and chairs the research & innovation policy group, announced that the next EU Health Summit will take place on 26 October 2020. It will be a hybrid event, bringing together high-level policy makers and stakeholder representatives from a broad range of health-related organisations both face-to-face and online.
The EU Health Summit will focus on the implementation of an updated version of the recommendations that were presented during the last conference in the end of 2018. It will reflect on recent developments and aims to involve the audience in the implementation of a range of recommendations for research & innovation, healthcare systems, health in all policies and digital health & health data.
We are currently working on the programme together with our partners, but take a look on the website of the EU Health Coalition to register and to follow the latest news: https://www.euhealthcoalition.eu/event/eu-health-summit-2020/
BioMed Alliance calls for rapid progress in IVDR implementation
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The BioMed Alliance published a new statement calling for urgent action to ensure optimal implementation of the EU In Vitro Diagnostic devices regulation (IVDR). The statement calls on the European Commission to take into account a number of actions that should be completed as soon as possible.
The application date for the new regulation on 26 May 2022 is approaching and adaptation to the new regulatory system is time consuming and requires a concerted effort from the European Commission, Member States and stakeholders. At the moment there are many steps that still need to be taken to ensure the regulatory system will be ready to continue guaranteeing the availability of novel and high-quality diagnostic tests.
Read the statement here
MEPs & Stakeholders join forces to call for European leadership in health research
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An open letter to the European Commission signed by 48 Members of the European Parliament and a large number of health stakeholders (including BioMed Alliance) calls for strengthened leadership that addresses silos in health research. The letter was published on 9 July and highlights the value of biomedical research while stressing the need for a more coordinated European approach to health research.
MEP Dr. Petra de Sutter (GREENS/EFA, Belgium) initiated the letter, and the BioMed Alliance office supported her and her staff in finalising and promoting it. The letter argues that the COVID-19 crisis demonstrated that a coordinated response to health challenges requires prior planning and a long-term commitment based on a comprehensive vision. This can be driven by a credible body, in the form of a European Health Research Council.
The full letter is available here.
BioMed Alliance position on new Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe
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The BioMed Alliance has submitted feedback for the consultation on the new Roadmap for the Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe. In the response, we stress the need for coordinated action in a number of policy areas that are crucial in the lifecycle of pharmaceuticals including support for biomedical research, academic clinical trials, health data sharing and cooperation on Health Technology Assessment.
The Pharmaceutical Strategy is a new European Commission initiative intended to coordinate efforts to help ensure Europe's supply of safe and affordable medicines that meet patients' needs. The Strategy covers the whole life cycle of pharmaceutical products from research & scientific discovery to authorisation and patient access. The Commission continues the consultation process with a more general consultation and is expected to publish its proposal by the end of the year.
Read the BioMed Alliance feedback to the Roadmap on the Pharmaceutical Strategy here.
BioMed Alliance launches new page with COVID-19 related resources
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The BioMed Alliance launched a new page providing an overview of resources on COVID-19. The page contains information on BioMed Alliance activities and provides and highlights materials that medical & research societies have published on the COVID-19 virus.
The page can be found here.
Update June 2020
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Read the Update June for the latest news around our activities, publications and relevant developments in EU health policy & regulations.