Category: Health
Playing with consumers’ health: game over?
When you can’t access a drug treatment because of its price, you’ve probably run out of options. This is what happened some years ago to some patients affected by a severe eye disease [1]. They were denied treatment due to...
Lisa’s story and the price of anti-cancer drugs
The child of a dear friend of mine, whose name is Lisa, unfortunately developed cancer when she was only 4. She is now 8 and has received the all-clear from the doctors. She was one of the lucky children who...
When drug approval is quick, it should not be dirty
Imagine you or a loved one have a disease. It can be treated, but only with a new medicine that is not yet available. The time it normally takes for a new drug to reach the market means it might...
A bitter pill to swallow
The trend is clear: the cost of medicines is increasing. Many EU healthcare systems are now spending more than ever before on pharmaceutical products. At a time when the words ‘economic crisis’ rhyme with ‘normality’, consumers are having to shoulder...
Ending the deadlock on endocrine disruptors
Lately there has been a lot of talk in EU circles about endocrine disruptors. Endo-what you might ask? Let me break it down for you: Imagine you urgently need to call somebody with an important message. But no matter how...
Health: Is TTIP the pill for all our ills?
Transatlantic cooperation, done properly, could have a positive impact on consumers on both sides of the Atlantic in various areas, including health. Nevertheless, reading the EU’s positions on the pharmaceutical and medical devices[1] (e.g. pace makers, hip implants) chapters of...
“TTIP won’t lower standards” – Well then let’s break down how – UPDATE
Update: 11 September 2015 In this blog, I urged EU policy-makers to give us strong and tangible reassurances that TTIP wouldn’t lower standards. Well, they need to do a better job. The peace of the Brussels’ summer was indeed troubled...
How will TTIP affect the health of Europeans?
The ongoing public discussion in the UK as to whether their National Health Service will be affected by TTIP is a sign Europeans are increasingly worried about the extent to which their lives could be affected by this transatlantic deal....