News
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.
Update May 2020
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Read our analysis of the latest developments at EU level and a report of recent BioMed Alliance activities in the new Update May.
New article in UEG Journal: ‘Joining forces to strengthen European health research’
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BioMed Alliance Board Member Berthold Koletzo, Loredana Simulescu (BioMed Alliance) and Mathilde Ollivier (UEG) have published an article in the United European Gastroenterology Journal explaining how joining forces is essential to strengthen European health research. They highlight the successes of cross-border health research and European funding programmes, explain how Horizon Europe is structured, stress the need for adequate funding and outline the activities of the BioMed Alliance.
The entire article is available here.
Update April 2020
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Our Update April is available now and includes a comprehensive overview of the latest news around the BioMed Alliance and relevant developments at EU level.
Report BioMed Alliance-FEAM workshop on the future of health research
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On 31 January, the BioMed Alliance organised a joint workshop with the Federation of European Academies of Medicine (FEAM) on the Future of European Health Research. The workshop took place in the European Parliament and both European policy makers and researchers held a series of interesting presentations on health research.
The report of the workshop is available here
BioMed Alliance releases statement on delay MDR application date
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The BioMed Alliance published a statement on 9 April welcoming the European Commission’s proposal to postpone the application date of the Medical Devices regulation by one year, to 26 May 2021. The statement highlights several key elements that should be taken into account if the postponement will be approved.
Read the statement here.
Update March 2020
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Read our new March Update to get an overview of our activities and news, particularly related to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
BioMed Alliance calls for support for Medical Societies during COVID-19 pandemic
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The BioMed Alliance released a new statement and a letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calling for support for medical and research societies to ensure continued guidance for healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic poses a major challenge that has a disruptive effect on European health systems and societies. European health professionals are working around the clock to save the lives of European patients, and governments and the EU Institutions are doing everything in their power to support their heroic efforts. However, the medical and research societies that health professionals rely on for up-to-date information on clinical practice are facing serious challenges. As medical congresses are being cancelled or postponed, not-for-profit societies are faced with substantial costs that may threaten their existence and thus their ability to provide clinical guidance to health professionals. Therefore, the Biomedical Alliance in Europe calls on the EU and Member States to support medical societies to ensure they can continue providing their services now and in the future.
Read the letter to President Ursula von der Leyen here and the statement here
Update February 2020
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Take a look at our February Update to find more information about our activities in this month.
High level EU Health Summit will take place on 4 & 5 May 2020 in the Flemish Parliament
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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 takes place on 4-5 May 2020. The high-level summit will be held in the Flemish Parliament and we look forward to organising the programme together with our partners. The conference will focus on the implementation of an updated version of the recommendations that were presented during the last conference in the end of 2018.
More information and the registration form are available here: https://www.euhealthcoalition.eu/event/eu-health-summit-2020/
EFLM becomes the 33rd member of the BioMed Alliance
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The European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EFLM) has now officially joined the BioMed Alliance. It is the 33rd organisation to join the BioMed Alliance, bringing important expertise related to the fields of clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine. We would like to warmly welcome them to our growing organisation.
EFLM connects National Societies of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine and creates a platform for all European “Specialists in Laboratory Medicine”. EFLM provides European leadership in Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine to national professional societies, the diagnostic industry and to governmental and non-governmental organisations in order to serve the public interest in health care. EFLM represents the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) in Europe.
Update January 2020
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Read the first Update of the new decade here to see how we started the year and to get a glimpse of what lies ahead.