Category: Health
What member states must get right for consumers in EU pharma reform
The European Union’s pharmaceutical legislation is undergoing its biggest reform in two decades. It is the moment for member states to pay particular attention to what consumers need, writes Ancel.la Santos.
Will consumers be able to choose what happens to their health data through the European Health Data Space?
From our latest medical prescriptions to our exercise habits, everything related to our health says something about us.
Pushing for fair consumer access to medicines in the EU 60 years on
High prices and shortages of medicines are harming consumers across Europe. This blog is part of our 60th anniversary series, tying the six decades of BEUC’s existence to current day concerns.
The downsides of moving to digital-only leaflets for medicines with the EU’s pharma reform
In an upcoming EU reform of pharma policy, the pharmaceutical industry is pushing to replace paper leaflets in our medicines with digital leaflets that you can find online, but we don’t think that’s a good idea because of obvious downsides....
COVID-19 shows blatant need to rethink how we develop medicines
If the coronavirus crisis is described by the media as “an unprecedented crisis”, for scientists it is not. They knew that a new pandemic would emerge one day. It was only a matter of time. We were not sufficiently prepared...
COVID-19 and the digitalisation of health: five risks you need to know
Some claim that artificial intelligence (AI) will always be better than natural stupidity, especially when it comes to decisions about health. But it is important to be aware of the risks using AI in health care might entail for us.
How EU-funded research can deliver to consumers
Between 2021 and 2027, the EU Horizon Europe programme is planning to spend around a whopping 100 billion euros on research projects. No surprise therefore that academics, industry representatives and others will flood Brussels this week to attend the huge...
E-health: your every personal detail online
New technologies have flooded our lives: many day-to-day products and activities now begin with the prefixes i-, e-, cyber-, info-, techno-, m-, net-, tele-, and the list goes on. It’s easy to get lost in this carrousel of innovation! Digitalisation...
When medicines cost an arm and a leg. And an eye
Last week, a pharmaceutical company was accused of intentionally inflating the price of one of its medicines by 2,000%[1]. Does this kind of news seem like déjà vu? Most probably, because escalating medicine prices are getting more and more coverage....
Mhealth – opportunities and privacy risks
Out of the apps on your phone, how many of them are about health, fitness or lifestyle? Quite a few probably. Mobile health (mHealth) is trendy. It has the potential to transform the way healthcare is delivered because it allows...