Peter O'Donnell, ACT's Brussels Correspondent

Several projects in works illustrate the importance of those unsung heroes in Europe's R&D engine room.

The European generic drug industry homed in on the opportunity to “help the EU and member states develop effective policies that support access to medicines for patients.”

Nearly every EU member country has put in a bid to host the EMA once the UK leaves the European Union in 2019. The conditions and criteria for doing so are now becoming clear.

The Belgian health ministry has decreed that Belgian lung-cancer patients can receive and be reimbursed for immunotherapy treatments.

The EU’s national health organizations are contemplating to abandon their highly-prized autonomy, and forge common positions and buying strategies for accessing expensive new drugs.

As negotiations between the UK and the remaining 27 members of the European Union commence in the next month or so, questions of trade, IP protection and of free movement will emerge.

At the end of April, European Immunization Week will take place celebrating the achievements of immunization in healthcare. However, contemporary sentiments of skepticism threaten to dampen the event.

A late-March volley of support from the European Union came in the form of a prize awarded to the new European Reference Networks, designed to connect patients with rare diseases to experts across Europe.

Wherever the EMA winds up after Brexit, the reality for anyone working on drug development is that the strains and constraints of their job are not going to get any easier.

Is the much anticipated Europe action plan on personalized medicines, unveiled recently by an EU-sponsored international consortium, worth paying a close eye on?

A recently released study regarding off-label prescribing in Europe has caused confusion as it lacked clarity on how the issue of how to govern off-label use going forward.

The European Union, looking to re-invent itself in the wake of Brexit, is considering withdrawing policy in the field of public health.

The Belgium-based EURORDIS symposium on rare diseases set out to realize dreams of accessible treatment for all, but the first day left much to be desired for this achievement.

Europe is issuing a significant update to its ethical guidelines governing health-related research involving humans.

The European Union effort to forge more cooperation among its national and regional HTA bodies is still a work in progress, as the process has produced varying views on the subject.

A Brussels–based European Union conference on social rights set the stage for how access to healthcare should be widened with improved balance between innovation and affordability.

A prediction by QuintilesIMS consultants states that the industry can look forward to a historically large number and quality of new medicines emerging from the research and development pipeline over the next five years.

The European Reference Network on Rare Respiratory Diseases-a grouping of specialists from more than 60 dispersed centers-has won approval of EU funding to maximize clinical trial efficiency in Europe.

European Parliament has voted through a resolution criticizing the performance of drug companies on pediatric medicines development. This resolution will punish drug companies who neglect to investigate possible pediatric applications of new medicines.

With bidding starting to intensify among member states, several factors will determine the EMA’s next home.

The latest official review of European health strategy has been released at the request of the European Commission in an attempt to address Europe’s healthcare challenges. Peter O’Donnell reports that the clinical trials community is likely to be disappointed at the report’s findings.

Rising patient engagement in drug development has been welcomed when it comes to discussions of policy. In Europe, a new initiative has emerged that aims to improve this theme by finding the right balance into patient links with decision-making on medicines.

Key players gathered in Brussels recently gathered to discuss how health technology assessment should be implemented going forward. While cooperation was the main theme, this approach may have proven to complicate rather than alleviate.

The European Medicines Agency’s new website of detailed information on products it has assessed has been launched. Thus begins a new era of open access data for European pharma industry professionals.

The European Medicines Agency has started to deliver on its promise of open access to clinical reports for new medicines authorized in the European Union. Peter O’Donnell reports on his experience accessing this database.

New actions underway seek to find a consensus on the role of HTAs in the decision-making chain, including with clinical trials.

European Biopharmaceutical Enterprises (EBE) warns that Europe’s new drug ideas are going to waste due to a lack of innovative support in the sector. The EBE has offered several requests to stimulate investment, but attracting support from member state governments and the European Commission will be no easy task.

Antimicrobial resistance presents a challenge on a global scale that has received attention from the United Nations General Assembly among other governing bodies. Research and development for new antimicrobials and alternative medicines is needed to combat such a threat.

Cancer therapy has seen progress - not groundbreaking, but improving thanks to the scientific and technological tools at our disposal. This fall offers industry events and trial evaluations that aim to continue this progressive trend toward a breakthrough.

With registries gaining steam as a potential European policy agenda, the EMA plans to incorporate them into the healthcare community. This movement aims to solve the issues of getting the right drugs to the right patients at the right time, and at something like the right cost.