News Alerts
- WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan presented the WHO World
Report on Disability in UN, New York in June 2011. It is the
result of three years of work from experts and NGOs from all over the
world. Dr Chan writes in the foreword:
" .... the World Health Organization and the World Bank Group have
jointly produced this World Report on Disability to provide the evidence
for innovative policies and programmes that can improve the lives of people
with disabilities, and facilitate implementation of the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which came into
force in May 2008. This landmark international treaty reinforced our understanding
of disability as a human rights and development priority. The World Report
on Disability suggests steps for all stakeholders – including governments,
civil society organizations and disabled people’s organizations – to
create enabling environments, develop rehabilitation and support services,
ensure adequate social protection, create inclusive policies and programmes,
and enforce new and existing standards and legislation, to the benefit
of people with disabilities and the wider community. People with disabilities
should be central to these endeavors. Our driving vision is of an inclusive
world in which we are all able to live a life of health, comfort,and dignity.
We invite you to use the evidence in this report to help this vision become
a reality."
Click
here to see the World Report on Disability
- The Council adopted conclusions on the Joint Programming of research
activities in the field of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer.
This is based on a Commission's recommendation to the Council on the launch
of the Joint Programming Initiative (JPI) on combating neurodegenerative
diseases, in particular Alzheimer's that was adopted on 22 July 2009 (
IP/09/1171 )
Click
here for more information
- The European Commission has adopted today the Communication
from the Commission COM(2009) 380/4 to the European Parliament and the
Council on a European initiative on Alzheimer's disease and other
dementias and a proposal for a Council Recommendation
on measures to combat neurodegenerative diseases, in particular Alzheimer's,
through joint programming of research activities
Click
here for the Press Release about both initiatives
Click
here for further information and documents on the web site of the DG SANCO
on Alzheimer's disease and other dementias
- Round
Table "Reducing the psychosocial impact of the financial and
economic crisis" held in Brussels on 27 April 2009
- EMEA
guidelines on medicines for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and
Parkinson's disease
The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has released two
guidelines for companies developing medicines for the treatment of Alzheimer's
disease and other dementias, and for Parkinson's disease, in the light
of recent scientific progress in the understanding of these diseases and
conditions.
The 'Guideline on medicinal products for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease
and other dementias' (CPMP/EWP/553/95 Rev.1)
The 'Guideline on clinical investigation of medicinal products in the treatment
of Parkinson's disease' (CHMP/563/95 Rev.1)
A press release concerning the publication of the two guidelines
- Report
of the Research Task Force on Rare Diseases, DG Sanco, Luxembourg November
13th, 2008
- EBC
attended the EU High Level Conference “Together for Mental Health & Wellbeing” on
13th of June, 2008.
Please find below the related documents and weblinks.
A letter from the European Commissioner for Health, Ms Androulla Vassiliou,
to participants of the Conference
Programme
European Pact for Mental Health and Wellbeing
Countering the stigmatisation and discrimination of people with mental
health problems in Europe
Consensus Paper: Prevention of depression and suicide
Consensus Paper: Mental Health in Older People
Consensus Paper: Mental Health in WorkPlace Settings
Consensus Paper: Mental Health in Youth and Education
More information about the conference, including presentations
and videos from many sessions, is available on the website
of DG SANCO: http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_determinants/life_style/mental/mental_health_en.htm
- Counterfeit
Medicines
The EBC has recently joined the European
Alliance for Access to Safe Medicines (EAASM), an important organisation
which is campaigning against the huge trade in illegal counterfeit medicines,
and for the promotion of patient safety, in Europe. Two recent reports
have highlighted how patient safety is threatened by illegal counterfeit
medicines that can enter the legitimate European medicine distribution
chain or can be obtained from illegal internet pharmacies. The Harper
Report examines the drawbacks of Parallel Pharmaceutical Trade and
how repackaging and relabelling of medicines can be exploited by counterfeiters.
A short
summary and press
release give the essential points. The EAASM has also highlighted the
massive problem of illegal online pharmacies in a project they call “The
Counterfeiting Superhighway”. At a meeting in London in April (see
EBC Newsletter June 2008), the EAASM provided teams of experts with 30
prescription drugs bought online to get their opinions on whether they
were genuine or not. Subsequently the drugs were subject to chemical analysis.
The findings are contained in a recently published report, “The
Counterfeiting Superhighway” which shows that three out of five
prescription-only medicines bought online were substandard, counterfeit
or unapproved.
- Collaboration
to promote neurological research—the European Brain Council experience
J. Olesen
- Report
on a meeting of the European Coalition for Biomedical Research, Brussels
4 July 2007
- Brain
Research Has High Returns but Europe is Lagging Behind
J. Olesen et al. EJN 2007
- Working
Parties, Task Forces and Committees report
- EBC’s
response to the outcome and recommendations of the King Baudouin Foundation’s
Meeting of Minds initiative.
- The
37 recommendations on Brain Science
At the end of a plenary session on the afternoon of Sunday
22 January, the European citizens’ panel had produced 37 recommendations
on the six themes they had addressed during their deliberation on brain
science. After the citizens had voted on the amendments in the plenary
session on Sunday, the writers' group revised the texts, introduced the
amendments and made a few linguistic changes so that the texts read better
in English.
- Analysing
and Reporting on Health
Available on the DG SANCO web site and very soon in the EU Health Portal,
this site contains all the health reports produced in DG SANCO, Eurostat
and other European Commission DG's as well as links to the national systems
on health reporting. The site is also available in French, German and
Spanish versions.
- Publication
of first calls of FP7
On 22nd December, the European Commission published the first and
second calls of Framework 7. The details
of all the calls are available from the CORDIS website (http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm) and
the Health
Work Programme (http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=UserSite.CooperationDetailsCallPage&call_id=10) in
which most of the opportunities for brain research can also be downloaded.
- Complete
results of Second European Citizens' Convention
In January 2005, the European citizens' panel presented
its European
Citizens' Assessment Report containing 37 recommendations on the ethical,
legal, social and economic implications of advances in brain science. But
how did they achieve these results? A new report reveals the different
stages of dialogue and debate that took place at the Second and last European
Citizens' Convention.
- Meeting
of Minds input into Green Paper 'Improving the mental health of the
population: Towards a strategy on mental health for the EU'
Mid-May 2006 the King Baudouin Foundation, European coordinator
of the project, has submitted a policy advice document that voices the
views and comments of the European citizens' panel in the context of the
consultation on this Paper. The project has lead to a wealth of information
regarding citizen's views on brain sciences, including on mental health.
- Size
and Burden of Mental Disorders in Europe
European Neuropsychopharmacology, 15 (4), August 2005
In this special issue the editorial and 11 state-of-the-art
review articles inform about the current epidemiological knowledge from
the EU region on size and burden of the following diagnoses: alcohol and
drug use disorders, psychotic disorders, mood disorders (Major Depression
and bipolar disorders), anxiety disorders (panic and agoraphobia, social
phobia, Generalized Anxiety Disorder), dementia, and Parkinson´s
disease.These findings served as epidemiological input for the economic
analyses of the EBC project "Costs of Disorders of the brain in Europe".
- Aho
Report
Ahead of the European Business Summit of spring 2006,
an independent expert group commissioned by the EC and led by former Finnish
prime minister Esko Aho called for “a pact for research and innovation” to
achieve the Lisbon
goals.
- EC
Green Paper on Mental Health
Published in October 2005 with the goal of launching
a debate with European institutions, governments, health professionals,
stakeholders in other sectors, civil society including patient organisations
and the research community about the relevance of mental health for the
EU, the need for a mental health strategy at EU level and its possible
priorities.
- World
Health Organization (WHO) Report Priority Medicines for Europe
and the World
The WHO’s attempt to develop a public health-based medicines development
agenda to be supported by the EU, and in particular to identify pharmaceutical
gaps in research on therapies for brain diseases. Published in November
2004.
- Innovative
Medicines Initiative
Designed to remove bottlenecks hampering the development
of new medicines by creating a public-private partnership under FP7.
- Backgrounders
on brain diseases
Background information on the major brain diseases.
- Meeting
of Minds
European citizens' deliberation in brain science.
