'Facilitating access for today’s diseases' was a key point of discussion at the EAPM Congress in Milan.

Peter Meeus, from Shire, told the audience and panel that rare diseases need to be treated differently from more common diseases, using real-world data.

He said: “There is a need for Member States to invest more in data bases. Rare disease patients are not easy to find to put into a trial.”

Marco Marcello, of DG CONNECT said in the same session said that Europe needs to give citizens better access to their health data everywhere in the EU.

This would involve enabling secure access, empowering patients with digital tools and apps.

He used the tagline ‘Don’t worry, be appy’.

Data sharing across borders will lead to better research and personalised healthcare, and: “The Commission is building the bridge.”

Marco then emphasised that the Commission encourages and supports Member States to adopt interoperable electronic health record systems.

He also spoke about the MEGA initiative, which now has 19 countries on board.

Attendees heard that the signatories met for first time in September, to try to understand technical, organisational and legal challenges.

It’s a perfect example of cooperation and Jennifer Mills, from Foundation Medicine, said: “If we don’t collaborate, we can actually make more of a divide. Partnership is no longer optional, it’s essential.”

Stanimir Hasurdjiev, from PACT, explained that the challenges in his country Bulgaria can easily be seen in every country in Europe and in every disease area.

It’s a common responsibility to make sure nobody lags behind in access and more, he said, adding that the speed at which we move depends on the speed of the slowest country.

Speaking about the upcoming European Parliament elections, he said: “Politicians must understand that there is no Europe without healthy citizens.” 

Meanwhile, Alberto Mantovani, from Humanitas, pointed out that sustainability in healthcare is one of the biggest challenges we face.

The second Presidential session featured a dialogue with CEOs under the banner ‘From here to 2025: Personalised medicine and healthcare for an immediate future’.

Elena Bottineli, of San Raffaele Hospital, was first to speak and highlighted the importance of collecting data and using it well.

She also focused on archiving, sharing, and AI to help doctors use the data optimally.

Investment in research, and the education of HCPs (as well as patients), also came under Elena’s scrutiny.

“We really think personalised medicine will improve healthcare for patients,” she said.

Torsten Hoof, of Genomic Health, told attendees that Europe is doing well with regards to life expectancy.

Putting a focus on oncology, he said that the promise in personalised medicine is to get better outcomes in cancer patients.

Value-based reimbursement will fuel personalised medicine, he suggested. 

Nicoletta Luppi, of MSD Italy, explained that cancer mortality has been declining in the past 40 years, while adding that current patient access to innovative cancer medicines varies in Europe.

She highlighted as reasons for this national GDP, but also pointed out that political will is a big factor.

“Patient access to innovation is a shared responsibility - governments, payers, patients, industry…” Nicoletta said.

Maurizio de Cicco, of Roche Italy, illustrated that improved understanding of cancer biology has challenged traditional business models, while Michele Perrino, from Medtronic, told attendees that: “We need to bring technologies that are accessible.”

Connecting technologies to the outside world is vital, he said.

As well as the two Presidential sessions, Tuesday saw tracks on lung-cancer screening, which addressed screening strategies and guidelines, epidemiology and public health.

Congress heard that earlier diagnostics and earlier treatment has many benefits, among them fiscal, as has often been mentioned, because while cost is a major issue better diagnostics will ease the burden on healthcare systems.

Source: EAPM