europabio-logoeuropabio-logoeuropabio-logoeuropabio-logo
  • About us
    • Who we are
      • Governance
      • Staff
      • Vacancies
    • What we do
  • Members
    • EuropaBio Members
    • About Membership
  • How we work
    • Healthcare Biotechnology Council
      • Cell & Gene Therapies
      • Medicines For Rare Diseases And Children
      • Regulatory Efficiency
      • Biosimilars & Public Procurement
      • Data & Digital
      • Patient Bio-Forum
    • Industrial Biotechnology Council
      • Food, Feed & Nutrition
      • Circular Bioeconomy
    • National Associations Council
    • SME Platform
    • Biomanufacturing Platform
  • Activities
    • 25 Years of Innovation
    • EFIB 2022
    • European Biotech Week
  • Events
  • Newsroom
    • News & Publications
    • Newsletter
    • Library
Become a member
✕

EuropaBio’s 2022 Patient BioForum sets out recommendations to address the challenges of patients with unmet medical needs and calls for multi-stakeholder approach

31/01/2023
PRESS RELEASE

Brussels, 31 January 2023 - Today, EuropaBio publishes the report and recommendations on unmet medical needs (UMN) from its 1 December 2022 invite-only event. In response to the growing public debate about UMN, EuropaBio hosted multiple stakeholder groups to discuss and better understand patients’ with UMN experiences and facilitate progress towards a common understanding of the concept.

“The Patient BioForum is an important forum for multi-stakeholder discussions between industry and patient groups. Our discussions confirmed that a rigid approach to UMN risks having unintended consequences for patients and innovation. To address the challenges of UMN, the EU needs to create a multi-stakeholder forum to help dialogue and collaboration between policy-makers and stakeholders, with patient voices strongly represented”, said Claire Skentelbery, Director General of EuropaBio.

The report issues the following recommendations to the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the Council of the European Union to enable Europe to address the challenge of UMN:

➢ A multi-stakeholder approach is necessary where patient representatives are involved on an equal footing as other stakeholders and their voices duly considered
➢ Non-legislative approaches to UMN should be privileged to ensure Europe’s approach is scientifically sound, flexible, and future-proof to accommodate the rapid evolution of treatments, science, and disease understanding
➢ A life-cycle approach, from the translation of basic science to innovative therapies as well as care provision and patients is necessary to accommodate for current and future UMN
➢ Significant investments in science and society, by supporting Europe’s life science sector from scientific research to clinical development by positively rewarding innovation and maximising synergies between public and private actors, are necessary to ensure life-changing treatments reach the most patients.

Today, EuropaBio also launches its call for the creation of a multi-stakeholder forum to support reaching a common understanding of UMN and, most importantly, how it may support scientific progress, translational research, and therapeutic development that will improve the lives of millions of patients.

Several organisations, including DIG PKU and ESPKU, have already expressed their support to the initiative and EuropaBio intends to continue to engage with relevant stakeholders.

“Addressing unmet medical needs represent an important challenge for Europe that will require positive tools to stimulate innovation and deliver for patients and society. Addressing unmet medical needs will require us to break the silos and work together toward a common goal, making sure patients’ voices and experiences are heard. We need to adopt a balanced and careful approach and ensure no patients’ needs are unmet”, said MEP Pernille Weiss (EPP, Denmark).

EuropaBio Patient BioForum Report: Toward a Common Understanding of Unmet Medical Needs


Download
Share
Alexandra Simionca
Alexandra Simionca

Related posts

23/03/2023

Unlocking the Potential of Biotechnology Innovation for Patients


Read more
16/03/2023

Vision, clarity and enabling – the drivers for Europe’s biomanufacturing future


Read more
07/03/2023

Disc Medicine joins EuropaBio: life-changing medicines for patients with hematologic disorders


Read more
06/03/2023

Can the Pharmaceutical Strategy Deliver for Europe?


Read more

Important links

  • Unlocking the Potential of Biotechnology Innovation for Patients
  • Vision, clarity and enabling – the drivers for Europe’s biomanufacturing future

Categories in our Newsroom

Subscribe for our newsletter

Subscribe to the EuropaBio newsletter to receive the latest news and developments in the Biotech sector!


Subscribe
EuropaBio-Logo-White

EuropaBio represents corporate and associate members across sectors, plus national and regional biotechnology associations which, in turn, represent over 2600 biotech companies, 2300 out of them are SMEs.

Contact us

Extra links

Members
Staff
Privacy policy
Legal & cookies
Events
Newsroom

Become a member

Media pack

© 2023 Europabio. All Rights Reserved. Designed by EYAS
Become a member
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkLegal & Cookies