Recap: European Affairs and Hematology at EHA2024
As at previous congresses, the European Affairs track at EHA2024 offered opportunities to learn, exchange, and connect. In collaboration with the EHA Patient Advocacy Committee (PAC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), we delivered two successful symposia on policy and regulatory topics of high relevance to clinicians, patients, and regulators.
EHA-Patient Joint Symposium
This year’s EHA-patient joint symposium saw two packed sessions, with plenty of interaction from the audience.
The first session explored the concept of unmet medical need against the backdrop of the EU’s pharmaceutical reform. Speakers and audience agreed on the following: the definition needs to be inclusive, future-proof, and place patients at the center. The impact of the UMN definition for research and innovation, and subsequently access, is clear.
The second session delved into the topic of fair pricing of new medicines, thematically aligned with the EU-funded ASCERTAIN project, in which EHA participates. The session offered a multistakeholder perspective on the discrepancy between availability and access, the impact of high prices on patients and public health systems, and workable solutions to ensure patients who need it benefit from innovation in hematology.
EHA-EMA Joint Symposium
The latest EHA-EMA Joint Symposium brought investigators, regulators, and patients together to discuss the use of real-world evidence in the evaluation of novel drugs. Key determinants for trust are the availability and accessibility of the data, its quality and completeness, and the comparability of the data.
The panel concluded that, whilst there is promise in RWE, the data used needs to be prospective and contemporary. The prospective accrual of toxicity data - crucial for regulators and payers - still presents a challenge. Another takeaway is that health professionals and regulators often hold different views on the use of RWE, and that further dialogue is necessary to ensure alignment.
Partnerships in the spotlight
The ‘European Projects in Hematology’ session introduced the audience to three collaborative projects supported by EHA: the SUPPLY project on sustainable supplies of plasma and plasma-derived medicinal products, the T2EVOLVE consortium, and the GoCART Coalition - which aim to advance the development and uptake of CAR T-cell therapies. Important partnerships were also on display in the Exhibition Hall at the Collaboration Plaza, which was also the home of the Patient Advocacy Hub.
(Re-)watch our sessions
If you were unable to join a session, or would like to revisit the discussions, you can do so on the Congress platform until August 15.
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