European Parliament criticised over use of COVID-19 disposable masks
02 Apr Health

European Parliament criticised over use of COVID-19 disposable masks

NGO attacks Parliament for promoting use of ‘untraceable, disposable, toxic and unrecyclable’ single-use masks.
by Martin Banks
Mental health is everybody’s business
13 Apr Health
Mental health is everybody’s business
EU regulator confirms possible link between blood clots and AstraZeneca vaccine in ‘very rare’ cases
07 Apr Health
EU regulator confirms possible link between blood clots and AstraZeneca vaccine in ‘very rare’ cases
World Health Organization criticises EU’s ‘unacceptably slow’ vaccine rollout
01 Apr Health
World Health Organization criticises EU’s ‘unacceptably slow’ vaccine rollout
Making Team Europe the new normal
27 Feb Health
Making Team Europe the new normal
As the EU grapples with the Coronavirus crisis, it cannot afford to turn a blind eye to the challenges facing the developing world, writes Hildegard Bentele.
MEPs call on pharma companies to increase COVID-19 vaccine production
26 Feb Health
MEPs call on pharma companies to increase COVID-19 vaccine production
European Parliament’s Socialist MEPs also want pharmaceutical giants to research against potential future Coronavirus variants and strains.
Rare Diseases: Celebrating patient-centred innovation
26 Feb Health
Rare Diseases: Celebrating patient-centred innovation
After a challenging year, Rare Disease Day 2021 is a wonderful opportunity to recognise the incredible efforts and achievements of patients, their associations and the scientific community, explains Alexander Natz.
Rare Diseases: How European reference networks have improved the lives of rare disease sufferers immeasurably
26 Feb Health
Rare Diseases: How European reference networks have improved the lives of rare disease sufferers immeasurably
But more can, and must, be done to work together and take ERNs to the next stage, says EURORDIS HealthCare Director Inés Hernando.
Rare Diseases: How the new EU rare disease policy framework provides an opportunity to move from building infrastructures to measuring impact
26 Feb Health
Rare Diseases: How the new EU rare disease policy framework provides an opportunity to move from building infrastructures to measuring impact
‘Rare 2030’ Foresight Study highlights unmet needs and continued obligation to improve outcomes, explains EURORDIS Health Policy Director Anna Kole.
Preparing for the next virus PM+
26 Feb Health
Preparing for the next virus
The Consumer Choice Center’s Fred Roeder and Maria Chaplia report on a recent event that looked at why the EU must safeguard intellectual property rights to prepare for future pandemics.
Issue 531 | 1 March 2021
26 Feb Health
Issue 531 | 1 March 2021
Gracing the cover this issue is Irish EPP deputy Frances Fitzgerald. A staunch defender of women’s rights, Fitzgerald says she believes we are entering a new era of equality, telling deputy editor Lorna Hutchinson that despite recent setbacks, fresh momentum for change is building.
Europe’s vaccine rollout to take centre stage at online summit of EU leaders
24 Feb Health
Europe’s vaccine rollout to take centre stage at online summit of EU leaders
Thursday and Friday's European Council meeting will see leaders discuss the EU’s response to the ongoing pandemic and the vaccination rollout strategy.
Rare Diseases: Why medical innovation needs to be one step ahead
24 Feb Health
Rare Diseases: Why medical innovation needs to be one step ahead
Accelerating innovation key to ensuring that no one is left behind in fight against rare diseases, says Nathalie Moll EFPIA Director General.
Rare Diseases: Why the EU must ensure that rare diseases aren’t side-lined during the fight to overcome COVID-19
24 Feb Health
Rare Diseases: Why the EU must ensure that rare diseases aren’t side-lined during the fight to overcome COVID-19
Maria da Graça Carvalho, Frédérique Ries, David Lega & Tomislav Sokol warn that the Coronavirus crisis has enhanced the vulnerability of people living with a rare disease.
Rare Diseases: Challenges are global in nature and therefore need an international response
23 Feb Health
Rare Diseases: Challenges are global in nature and therefore need an international response
European and international collaboration is indispensable in the battle to improve diagnoses and develop new treatments, writes the Director of the European Commission​’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation Irene Norstedt.
Rare Diseases: Securing a better future for rare disease patients across Europe is a shared responsibility
23 Feb Health
Rare Diseases: Securing a better future for rare disease patients across Europe is a shared responsibility
Meeting unmet needs together is essential, explains Takeda Pharmaceuticals Chief Giles Platford.
European Rare Diseases Supplement 2021
22 Feb Health
European Rare Diseases Supplement 2021
A special supplement looking at European and global efforts tackling rare diseases.
World’s richest countries accused of hoarding COVID-19 vaccines
19 Feb Health
World’s richest countries accused of hoarding COVID-19 vaccines
New analysis by global anti-poverty organisation The ONE Campaign claims to show that the world’s richest countries are on course to accumulate more than 1 billion more doses than they would need to fully vaccinate all their own citizens.
Guy Verhofstadt: EU Coronavirus vaccine contracts “very unbalanced”
19 Feb Health
Guy Verhofstadt: EU Coronavirus vaccine contracts “very unbalanced”
The senior MEP has strongly criticised the EU’s vaccination strategy which has come under increasing fire in recent weeks.
Group leaders and cross-party MEPs join forces to demand faster EU vaccine rollout
15 Feb Health
Group leaders and cross-party MEPs join forces to demand faster EU vaccine rollout
The plea comes with the rollout in all EU countries woefully behind others such as Israel and the United States.
Hormones and COVID-19: An alarming link
15 Feb Health
Hormones and COVID-19: An alarming link
The connection between endocrine conditions and viruses such as COVID-19 has not been widely addressed through policy or research; let’s take urgent action to change this, writes Sirpa Pietikäinen.
Time to put EU's Coronavirus recovery plan in motion says Portuguese presidency chief
15 Feb Health
Time to put EU's Coronavirus recovery plan in motion says Portuguese presidency chief
Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa tells MEPs that EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility is a ‘vitamin’ to aid Europe's economic revival.
Britain’s former Europe Minister calls for probe into EU’s Coronavirus vaccine strategy
09 Feb Health
Britain’s former Europe Minister calls for probe into EU’s Coronavirus vaccine strategy
The European Commission has consistently defended the strategy but, compared with countries like the UK, Israel and the US, all Member States are far behind on their vaccination rollout.
Pressure mounting on EU and Member States to speed up Coronavirus vaccine rollout
08 Feb Health
Pressure mounting on EU and Member States to speed up Coronavirus vaccine rollout
The EU27 has so far collectively administered at least one dose to just over 3 percent of the population, against 59 percent in Israel, 15.7 percent in the UK and 10 percent in the US.
The European Commission’s proposed ban on Aloe sets a dangerous precedent for natural products PM+
05 Feb Health
The European Commission’s proposed ban on Aloe sets a dangerous precedent for natural products
With consumers increasingly seeking natural products such as Aloe to remain healthy longer, the European Federation of Associations of Health Products Manufacturers (EHPM) raises important concerns regarding the EU’s scientific evaluation of this botanical. The European Parliament in the ENVI Committee addressed for the first time this topic in an exchange of views on 14 January and voted on an objection on 27 January.
World Cancer Day: NGOs call for EU to stop funding red and processed meat advertising
04 Feb Health
World Cancer Day: NGOs call for EU to stop funding red and processed meat advertising
Plans to beat cancer ‘pointless’ if EU continues to promote foods that makes the problem worse, say stakeholder groups.
The European Commission’s new European Beating Cancer Plan has received a guarded welcome from MEPs
04 Feb Health
The European Commission’s new European Beating Cancer Plan has received a guarded welcome from MEPs
Ambitious health plan unveiled just ahead of World Cancer Day (4 February).
Senior MEPs criticise European Commission’s handling of EU vaccines rollout
04 Feb Health
Senior MEPs criticise European Commission’s handling of EU vaccines rollout
However, it would be a mistake to dispute that the bloc would be better off not without a common EU strategy, argues Greens/EFA Group co-leader Philippe Lamberts.