EuropaBio Patient BioForum 2022: Toward a Common Understanding of Unmet Medical Needs

EuropaBio’s Patient BioForum meets annually to facilitate the exchange of views and expertise on scientific, regulatory, and policy issues between patient organisations and the biopharmaceutical industry.

In recent years, unmet medical needs have been at the core of Europe’s pharmaceutical and public health policies. Addressing unmet medical need was outline as a central to the 2020 Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe. One perceived shortcoming of the current legislative frameworks is insufficient stimulated development in some areas of ‘unmet medical need’ (UMN) such as antimicrobial resistance or rare diseases. The upcoming revision of the EU pharmaceutical legislation and orphan and paediatric legislation will aim at addressing “unmet medical needs”.

A major hurdle to overcome is reaching a common understanding of unmet medical needs as stakeholders have different understanding of the concept based on different perceptions and expectations. Unmet medical need is scientific concept which can be used to identify patient and societal health needs and stimulate research activities. As science progresses, and with it the knowledge to address unmet medical needs, these needs will evolve over time from improving mortality, modifying disease progression, improving quality of life, burden of the disease, and potentially curing.

Bringing together multiple stakeholder groups, including patients and industry, the 2022 Patient BioForum is an opportunity to listen to patients’ understandings and experiences with unmet medical needs and facilitate progress towards a common understanding on unmet medical needs.

Speakers

• Joelle Khraiche, EuropaBio, Patient BioForum co-chair

• Anca Toma, EPF, Patient BioForum co-chair

• Tobias S. Hagedorn, Secretary of European Society for Phenylketonuria (ESPKU) and Managing Director of DIG PKU Germany

• Pedro Franco, Director Europe for Global Regulatory & Scientific Policy at Merck and Chair of EuropaBio’s OMP WG

Moderator

• Adrien Samson, Healthcare Biotechnology Manager, EuropaBio