Latest news on Pharmaceuticals from the European Commission
On 9 April the European Commission published two reports demonstrating the need for further progress in the European Union on the issue of anti microbial resistance. The first is a pan-European survey which reveals some worrying trends in public attitudes towards the use of antibiotics, while the second is a progress report on the 2002 Council Recommendation on the prudent use of antibiotics. Not too far from World AIDS Day, the European Commission can announce that it has invested over one billion Euros in the fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. As a founding member of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the European Commission has to date pledged €1,072.5 million covering the period 2002-2010 and has recently made new policy commitments to do more, better, together. The European Commission has invested over one billion Euros in the fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. As a founding member of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the European Commission has to date pledged €1,072.5 million covering the period 2002-2010 and has recently made new policy commitments to do more, better, together. According to the latest figures, new HIV infections have been reduced by 17% over the past eight years and that the most progress is seen in sub-Saharan Africa. At the end of September month, in Brussels, over 300 cancer organisations, patients and cancer survivors, health professionals, researchers, health authorities and health ministers gather to mark the official launch of the European Partnership for Action against Cancer. The opening speeches by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou and HRH Princess Mathilde of Belgium highlight the impact of cancer on individuals and, their families. On 22 July the European Commission called on EU Member States to pool their resources and better coordinate research efforts to combat Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases. The proposals adopted by the Commission follow a 2008 recommendation by the Council of the European Union to launch a joint programming initiative in this field in 2009.
This public call for expressions of interest relates to the appointment by the European Commission of members representing patients' organisations at the Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA). Regulation (EC) No 141/2000 of the European Parliament and of the Council on orphan medicinal products ("the Regulation") lays down specific rules concerning the criteria and procedure for the designation of an orphan medicinal product. Medicinal products contribute considerably to the health of EU citizens. They can, however, also have adverse effects. It is estimated that 5% of all hospital admissions are due to an adverse drug reaction (ADR), and that ADR is the fifth most common cause of hospital death.