Event agenda
12:00: Registration opens
12:30: Panel starts
13:45: Panel close and networking lunch
15:00: Close
Confirmed Speakers
Tomislav Sokol MEP
Member SANT Committee, European Parliament
Hilde Stevens
Co-director, Institute for Interdisciplinary Innovation in Healthcare (I3H), ULB
Kristin Thompson
Chief Operating Officer, eureKARE
Vivian Tseveleki
Chief Operating Officer, theraCell
More to be announced soon
Introduction
In April 2023, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a new Directive and a new Regulation, aimed at revising and replacing the existing General Pharmaceutical Legislation (GPL). The proposal focuses on modernising the pharmaceutical sector with a patient-centred approach, while also fully supporting an innovative and competitive industry.
Through the proposal, the EU aims to offer an attractive and innovation-friendly environment for research, development, and production of medicines in Europe. The EU plans to create this environment by promoting world-class innovation, governed by stable and consistent rules that keep pace with innovation and which increase competitiveness while reducing red tape and costs.
One of the sectors impacted by the proposal is that of biotechnology, which has been instrumental in the discovery and development of therapies, diagnostics, vaccines and, most importantly, advanced medicines. These ‘next generation medicines’ are delivered through a complex and interdependent biotechnology ecosystem, where companies of all sizes contribute to establishing a pathway to patients.
Join this Euractiv Hybrid Conference to discuss Europe’s biotech innovation in light of the EU’s reform of the General Pharmaceutical Legislation.
Questions to be discussed include:
Algal Omega-3 is an innovative feed product for aquaculture. It reduces the impact on climate change by 30-40% compared to fish oil and saves 60 tons of wild fish for every ton of Algal Omega-3 used.
Cheese is a vegetarian product thanks to biotechnology. Biotechnology is also essential to produce lactose- or cholesterol-free cheese, as well as alternative proteins.
Clothes made from alternative fibres produced by microorganisms can be 8x stronger than steel, 100% recyclable, biodegradable and replace fossil-fuel based or resource-intensive textiles.
The biomanufacturing of Vitamin B2 led to the reduction of 75% of fossil raw materials and 50% operating costs, compared to the chemical process. Vitamin B2 is used in the food, feed or healthcare sectors.
Enzymes and biosurfactancts are alternative ingredients that improve the performance of detergents, while leading to water and energy savings and reductions in CO2 emissions and water toxicity.
Insulin is one of the most widely known biopharmaceutical. Biotechnology revolutionised its manufacturing process and led to the development of new types of insulin through r-DNA technology.