EU Policy
EU Policy 10/05/2012
Better use of data "will transform EU healthcare landscape"
Europeans will only be able to benefit from the affordable, less intrusive and more personalised healthcare which information and communication technologies (ICT) can bring if agreement is reached on how to use health data, experts have warned.
EU Policy 18/04/2012
Calls for greater public return on EU health R&D spend
The European Union has been urged to spearhead the adoption of new R&D models which "strive for more openness and needs-driven innovation to ensure affordable access to biomedical knowledge and goods".
EU Policy 17/04/2012
EU: Key committee urged to seek parliamentary rejection of ACTA
While the problems ACTA seeks to address are real, the unintended consequences with regard to individual criminalisation, the role of internet service providers, and the possible interruption of the transit of generic medicines are too grave.
EU Policy 16/04/2012
Changes coming for open access to research in Europe
Pressure is growing in Europe for open, free access to research results, particularly if they are publicly funded.
EU Policy 29/03/2012
European Parliament rejects referral of ACTA to EU High Court
The Committee of International Trade of the European Parliament voted against referring the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) to the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
EU Policy 12/03/2012
IMI to set up European Lead Factory for new drug opportunities
A new ‘European Lead Factory’ to be set up under the EU’s Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) will combine a library of as many as 500,000 drug candidates from industry and academia.
EU Policy 02/03/2012
Europe to speed pricing & reimbursement decisions
Member states to decide on pricing and reimbursement within 120 days if the drugs are innovative medicines and within 30 days for generics.
EU Policy 02/03/2012
European Parliament hears pitch for ACTA; But did it change minds?
Scepticism remains about ACTA's potential impact on digital freedoms and access to generic medicines in developing countries.
EU Policy 29/01/2012
European Parliament rapporteur quits in Acta protest
Negotiations over a controversial anti-piracy agreement have been described as a "masquerade" by a key Euro MP.
EU Policy 19/01/2012
EU needs united approach to fight fake drugs
The production and sale of counterfeit drugs is on the rise everywhere, with more unwary consumers buying them over the Internet.
EU Policy 16/01/2012
Danish EU presidency priorities include research, innovation, IP rights
Among Denmark’s many priorities for its six-month presidency of the European Union which started this month are advancing intellectual property rights, international trade, research and innovation. IP issues include a unitary EU patent, trademark rules modernisation, and orphan works legislation.
EU Policy 16/12/2011
Online tool to challenge health illiteracy
The European Commission next year plans to challenge poor health literacy levels in Europe with a new internet-based tool called Health in Europe: Information and Data Interface.
EU Policy 01/12/2011
EFPIA welcomes partnership commitment in Horizon 2020 proposal
The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) has welcomed the continued commitment to public-private partnerships (PPPs) in Horizon 2020, the European Commission’s proposed €80 billion programme for investment in research and innovation.
EU Policy 25/10/2011
EU plans new clampdown on drugs
The European Commission proposes new plans to tackle the growing use of drugs in Europe, with the intent of countering the spread of new substances and the use of legal chemicals in the production of drugs such as cocaine or heroin.
EU Policy 17/10/2011
An EU financial transaction tax can be a champion for change in global health
Europe should allocate a proportion of the funds to development issues.
EU Policy 12/10/2011
Europe revises ‘advertising in disguise’ proposal
Three years after issued a widely criticized proposal that would have allowed drugmakers to publish product information in consumer newspapers and magazines, the European Commission has, as promised, issued an updated version.
EU Policy 05/10/2011
Europe gets more for less in biomedical research publications
While Europe spends considerably less per capita on biomedical research than the US, the investment is comparatively more productive in terms of the volume of journal publications that ensue.
EU Policy 01/10/2011
Europe threatens to break off India free-trade talks
EU officials warn that negotiations will be broken off if an agreement is not reached by February 2012.
EU Policy 26/09/2011
EU regulations hindering drug development, say charities
"Over burdensome" European regulations are hindering the development of potentially lifesaving new drugs, a group of leading charities and research institutions warn today.
EU Policy 23/09/2011
Tell people how to take pills, Commission urged
Health specialists urged the European Commission to include provisions to its revised proposal for the controversial Information to Patients directive, expected for early October, so that patients are fully instructed on how to take medicine properly.
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