The 2013 eHealth week concluded yesterday, after 3 days of events that brought together industry partners, healthcare professionals, and decision-makers from across Europe to discuss the current possibilities and challenges facing eHealth. The event also offered the opportunity to celebrate eHealth success stories and raise awareness around the eHealth movement.
When Harvard researchers asked computer coders to write software analysing immune-system genes, they faced a challenge: The average computer programmer doesn’t know much about gene sequences.
Last week marked the third meeting of the International HIV Treatment as Prevention Workshop. Bringing together stakeholders from policy, industry, academia, and civil society, the workshop examines priority areas of research and action related to the use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and reduced HIV transmission.
Any great invention begins with little more than a thought. To transform that initial idea into a tangible tool requires time and money – necessary investments if we want to continue developing ways to improve people’s lives and the world around us. nnovation requires support through appropriate incentives, and via protective mechanisms like the IP system.
After 40 years of false starts, a European Patent with Unitary Effect (the UP) and a Unitary Patent Court (the UPC) is expected in the near future. The biopharmaceutical industry strongly supports a unitary patent and court even though the UP and UPC will not launch in all EU Member States initially (Italy and Spain are yet to join) and with legal uncertainties that may see an incremental engagement of biopharma with the UP/UPC.
This week the Indian Supreme Court denied the patent application of Novartis for its breakthrough medicines Glivec even though it was rewarded a patent in 40 other countries including China, Russia and Taiwan.
"We are losing a lot of research from Europe because of red tape" – these words of concern, voiced by Irish Health Minister James Reilly, were echoed by many at the Innovation and Patient Access to Personalised Medicine conference in Dublin last week. Their worries are justified: Personalised medicines have the potential to offer astounding solutions to some of our most complex healthcare challenges, from cancer to diabetes. But the current EU regulatory environment presents many hurdles to the development of these medicines.
Brussels, 25 March 2013
The College of Europe is pleased to invite you to the fourth Bruges European Business Conference “Europe as a Location for Industry and Innovation”, to be held at the College campus in Bruges (Dijver 11) on Tuesday 23 April 2013. The purpose of the conference is to explore the themes of competitiveness and innovation and how Europe can become a more attractive location for manufacturers.
The European Council meets today to discuss the European budget. On Wednesday, the European Parliament overwhelmingly rejected it by 506 votes out of 690. One of the core reasons stated by MEPs for the vote was the Council’s proposal to give only a minimal increase for research and innovation. This is a budget that even President Barroso, in his understated way, called a "disappointing reduction".
