The Royal Society of Medicine brought together law, ethics, health and EU voices
Networking is key to a collective health service in the EU, the Europeanisation of Health Care conference was told.
The London event, held at the Royal Society of Medicine in February, featured experts such as Professor David Kerr, President of the European Society of Medical Oncology.
Professor Kerr quoted the evolutionary theorist Peter Kropotkin to deliver his message: “The fittest are those species best able to achieve cooperation”.
Kerr emphasised the need for European Union (EU) member states to cooperate more in order to overcome the gaps in health care provision between successful and struggling countries.
Professor Mark McCarthy of the Public Health Research Group at University College London reiterated the point saying the European Union “needs to avoid a divide between the strongest innovating regions and the others”.
He also highlighted the fact that the EU’s share of gross domestic product on global research and development (R&D) is currently 2 per cent, less than the US (2.8 per cent) and Japan (3.4 per cent). “The EU has a target of three per cent by 2020, which requires an innovation research that is very R&D based.”
The EU programme Innovation Union aims to promote sustainable development and provide the economic climate for high-quality, innovative research and product development.
Professor McCarthy mentioned this EU programme as a tool to tackle the mismanagement of European money: “We are not investing correctly the funding we receive” he said.
Professor McCarthy added that European governments should approach research in a way that engages the population – particularly through sharing data and knowledge among member states.
The speakers also agreed that working on a more harmonised Europe is essential to reach common views on controversial issues such as human embryonic stem cell research.
‘Moral law’ is changing the research funding system
Ethics was mentioned as an increasingly important consideration for research funders.
Nils Hoppe, ethics reviewer for EU’s Innovative Medicines Initiative, said that ethical principles are becoming more established in proposals for funding. “EU-funded research is contingent on adherence to such agreed principles of ethics, which have gained a law-character – with rules and sanctions.”
In order to tackle the issue, Hoppe proposed that those who work in biomedicine should work more closely with regulatory bodies.
Alex Denoon, life sciences adviser at London law firm Lawford Davies Denoon, gave the example of human embryonic stem cell research. He explained that once embryonic stem cell therapies are proven, projects will be licensed by the European Medicines Agency.
However, to justify the cost companies will seek protection for their investment, which would require a common view across Europe on whether the commercial exploitation of stem cell research is immoral or not. “This doesn’t exist” he said.
Lack of agreement in epidemic cases threatens health care
Speakers recognised infectious diseases such as the swine flu and also bioterrorism as crucial examples of the need for a strong network that communicates in Europe.
According to Gearoid O’Cuinn from the University of Nottingham, “it is difficult to harmonise measures among the member states” but the European structure is working towards an agreement.
He said the European office of the World Health Organisation works closely with the European Commission and that the Treaty of Lisbon has added guidelines to help coordinate the resolution of cross border health threats.
In the specific case of the pandemic influenza, O’Cuinn explained that the pharmaceutical industry worked with different contracts in different countries. This has led to a less unified response to the health threat which the expert referred to as “a cultural issue”.
Nevertheless, attendees agreed with the last conference speaker, Dr Alberto Costa, director of the European School of Oncology in Milan. Dr Costa said he believes “the Europeanisation of health care is already happening”.
Photo © Debora Miranda
Other Elements articles in which you might be interested:
What people are saying