Deadline: Friday 5 October 2007 -due to technical problems on the EAHP server not all abstracts could reach the abstract reviewers. Therefore it was decided to extend the deadline to submit abstracts until Friday 5 October 2007.

Drafted June 2007

Source : Reuters - 4 July 2007

The High Level Pharmaceutical Forum (HLPF), a joint project from the DG Enterprise and Trade and DG Health & Consumers launched in April 2007 a consulation on how to best informe patients.

Source : Maria Cheng, AP Medical Writer

Source : Press Assoc.

Deadline: 21 May 2007

Source : HealthDay News

While scientists have believed for years that excessive antibiotic use leads to microbes gaining resistance to those drugs, a new study offers up much-needed proof.

Source: AFP - London

The British Government should consider stockpiling two types of antiviral drugs to treat people in the event of a bird flu pandemic, according to experts.

Source: Destination Santé (France)

It seems that caffeine, which for many years was thought to be harmful to the unborn child, is in fact safe.

In 2004, a pan-European public/private partnership was created between the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations and the EU Commission, under the 2006 6th Framework. The Innovative Medicines Initiative supports the discovery and development of better medicines, to enhance Europe’s competitiveness in this field. The IMI proposes practical paths to accelerate progress on innovative medicines with fewer side effects, for the benefit of patients.

The European Union approved finance for research on stem cells in July 2006. This decision will allow the adoption of the 7th framework programme (FP7) for the period 2007 to 2013, with a budget of 50.4 billion Euro.

One in two Europeans believe biotechnology will improve the quality of life; 52% of those polled in the latest Eurobarometer survey on biotechnology, published on 19 June 2006, indicated a belief that biotechnology would improve their quality of life.

There is considerable support for embryonic stem cell research across Europe, providing it is tightly regulated, although people tend to be more supportive of non-embryonic sources of stem cells. Among the countries in which approval for embryonic stem cell research is highest are Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands and Italy.

A Draft Report on the proposal for a regulation on advanced therapy medicinal products was rejected by the European Parliament Environment, public health and food safety (ENVI) committee, which met 13 September 2006.

Council Directive 93/42/EEC on medical devices is currently undergoing review. In May 2005, a draft proposal for amending this Directive was published for public comment on the homepage of the European Commission. The official Commission proposal for the revision of the medical device directive, COM(2005) 681, has since been published.