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20 February 2023

The 36 medical and research societies part of the Biomedical Alliance in Europe have suggested amendments that could be considered in the legislative process of the European Commission Proposal for a European Health Data Space.

The European Health Data Space (EHDS) could have a transformative effect on the healthcare and research sectors by facilitating health data sharing and use for healthcare (primary) and policy making and research (secondary) purposes. The BioMed Alliance welcomes the intention to reduce barriers to data sharing and to ensure that patients, healthcare professionals and researchers have better access to data.

After extensive discussions with researchers, healthcare professionals and policy experts in its Health Data Taskforce, the Alliance suggests several amendments that could improve the implementation of EHDS and make sure it can have a concrete positive impact on the healthcare and research sectors and ultimately on the life of patients. The document also includes case studies of health data sharing that were collected my medical societies from different disciplines.

Read the amendment document here and the adapted version according to the draft ENVI-LIBE Report from 10 February here.

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06 February 2023

Take a look at the January 2023 Update here, for information about BioMed Alliance activities and news at EU level. In this edition you will find more information about the limited availability of medical devices, our new members, the date of our Spring Meeting, a new proposal for an amendment extending MDR transition periods, an EU consultation on mental health, new guidance on in house IVDs and members' news.

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01 February 2023

The BioMed Alliance has welcomed 3 new member organisations this year. We look forward to working with the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) the European Society of Paediatric Endocrinology (ESPE) and the Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology (AEPC). We are glad that these societies have decided to join us and we are excited to work with them on our growing number of activities.

About EBMT

The European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) is a collaborative peer network of professionals working in centres and as individuals in the fields of clinical bone marrow transplantation, gene therapy and cellular therapy. The EBMT has more than 6,000 members in over 70 countries.

About ESPE

The European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology (ESPE) is an international organisation aiming to improve clinical care of children and adolescents with endocrine conditions, including diabetes, through research and education.

About AEPC

The Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology (AEPC) and its Working Groups aim to enhance collaboration amongst members for scientific research and professional development and to maintain high standards of professional practice. The Members of AEPC are paediatric cardiologists and other specialists working in this field and its related disciplines originating from 32 countries in Europe, and there are also members from other parts of the world.

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05 January 2023

Reports from clinicians, the European Commission and manufacturers have shown that there are issues around the availability of medical devices coinciding with the implementation of the Medical Devices Regulation. Many devices are at risk of being taken of the market with serious consequences for the provision of healthcare in Europe, and therefore the European Commission has recently announced that it will soon propose new measures to address this pressing issue.

Leading up to this, BioMed Alliance published an important survey on the availability of medical devices in August 2022. It assessed if clinicians experience that any devices that they normally use are no longer available on the market. The survey was developed by BioMed Alliance in cooperation with ESC and EFORT and was available until the end of September. We received 314 replies and the survey results show that clinicians are increasingly concerned about the fact that a rising number of essential devices is no longer available for use in medical care due to various reasons, and that this affects the quality of care for patients. Particularly devices in odd sizes or intended for paediatric or orphan indications were no longer available. Often manufacturers provided MDR related reasons for the non-availabilities, including lengthy certification procedures, high costs of putting the device on the market (particularly an issue for devices intended for small patient groups) and a lack of notified bodies.

BioMed Alliance used the survey results in its advocacy efforts to make sure the issue is addressed at EU level. We have discussed the issue in our Regulatory Affairs Committee, met with permanent representations, stakeholders and industry representatives and presented our survey results in the European Commission's Medical Devices Coordination Group Meetings.

Read the survey report here.