**A message from EFPIA: Digital health solutions are crucial to improve outcomes in cardiovascular care and play a role in the prevention, screening and management of CVD. As the Commission prepares its Cardiovascular Health Plan, the EU has a unique opportunity to turn digital innovation into real-world impact for patients across the region.**
WHERE’S EQUAL ACCESS IN THE COMMISSION’S COMPETITIVENESS MANTRA? European Health Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi admitted at the Gastein Health Forum that the current regulatory framework “does not deliver on the citizens’ expectations.” He vowed to fix that with a flurry of initiatives: the Critical Medicines Act, pharma legislation, the medical devices regulation revision, a new Biotech Act and the European Health Data Space. The pitch? Boost research and innovation to sharpen Europe’s competitive edge.
But does competitiveness mean access? What Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat of WHO missed in Commissioner’s speech was “the focus on ensuring that what we incentivize industry to produce is very much directed towards meeting the public health needs.”
“It’s not just about producers producing the products but we need to make sure they are truly available to all those who can benefit,” she said.
Equity, anyone? “We’re hearing less and less about equity,” warned Ilona Kickbusch, founding director and chair of the Global Health Centre in Geneva. What’s “essential,” she added, is finding the balance: “[We need] to make sure that the equity dimension remains part of this new strategic approach.”
Youth voice: “As the Commissioner says, we want a smart, just and resilient Union,” said Sanja Šišović, president of the International Youth Health Organization. “But I would add that the pre-condition for all of that is that each individual in Europe is actually healthy,” she said, with her words followed by applause.
On the cardiovascular plan: Várhelyi in his opening speech did mention the cardiovascular plan, however, Azzopardi-Muscat, while welcoming the effort, cautioned: “We really [need to] think carefully how such a plan … is truly going to be used to make progress on all fronts and tackle some of the very difficult issues.”