In 2005, the Directorate General Enterprise and Industry (DG ENTRE) and Directorate General Health and Consumer (DG SANCO) set up the “Pharmaceutical Forum”, a high-level political platform for discussion.

In a presentation to Members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, on 5 September 2006, Commissioner Markos Kiprianou reiterated the EU Commission’s aim to draft a legal basis to trans-border provision of health services.

DG Enterprise and Industry has released ‘Draft guidance on ‘specific modalities’ for non-commercial clinical trials referred to in Commission Directive 2005/28/EC laying down the principles and detailed guidelines for good clinical practice’.

(Source: EurActiv)

In a non-binding resolution, adopted by a show of hands on 7 September 2006, the European Parliament regrets that the "EU became involved at a late stage in the international fight against counterfeiting when more open borders and new technologies (Internet) were likely to exacerbate the problem of piracy".

This third edition of Health at a Glance – OECD Indicators 2006 provides the latest comparable data and trends on different aspects of the performance of health systems in OECD countries. It shows striking evidence of large variations across countries in indicators of health status and health risks, and in the costs, allocation of resources and outputs of health systems.

The Council adopted on the 25 September 2006 a common position on a draft decision establishing the 7th research framework programme (FP7) of the European Community (EC) for the period 2007-2013. The Council's common position will be forwarded to the European Parliament with a view to reaching an agreement at the second reading under the co-decision procedure.

Beginning in 2007, EAHP will offer the Science Award to EPSA students to recognise and honour the best science research manuscript authored by undergraduate student(s). This award recognises the student(s) for significant intellectual contributions that promise to promote the state of the art in hospital pharmacy and pharmaceutical research methods or theories.

In May 2006, Health Action International (HAI) held a seminar on “Risk Communication with patients”, that preceded an EMEA Patients and Consumers working group meeting in London.

In an unprecedented judgement on 16 May, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) based in Luxembourg ruled that the NHS cannot refuse to refund costs if patients wait longer than clinicians advise, even if national targets are met.

The ECJ ruling on the Yvonne Wyatt case (see above, Patient Mobility I) highlighted the need for a new directive.

June is traditionally a busy month for the EAHP as it is the time of the General Assembly, the annual meeting where national delegations have the opportunity to express opinions and to question the Board, which presents its activities.

To react to the fact that the European population is ageing and will suffer more and more from chronic rather than acute diseases, and taking into consideration that the development of medications is leading to more personalised treatments, healthcare stake-holders and policy makers have created a new alliance.

The European Court of Justice has found three Member States guilty of not complying with the recognition of professional qualifications directive (2001/19/EC).

Five years after EU regulation on orphan medicinal products, a study has demonstrated that incentives from the EU and Member States to research, produce and market orphan medicinal products, have resulted in the market authorisation of 22 new drugs in the fields of cancer, metabolic disorders, immunology, and cardiovascular and respiratory disorders. More than 450 applications for orphan disease medicines have been submitted.

Finland took over the rotating Presidency of the European Union on 1 July 2006. The main theme of the health programme of the Finnish presidency over the six month period is ‘health in all policies’ (HiAP).