This quote from Liz Cheney comes to mind: “Tonight, I say this to my Republican colleagues who are defending the indefensible: There will come a day when Donald Trump is gone, but your dishonor will remain.”

MEP Victor Negrescu says the European Commission isn’t even proposing a real-terms increase in the EU’s health spending. The S&D group @socialistsanddemocrats.eu is calling for a doubling in this spending and ensuring that health infrastructure is also supported through national plans.

“Vaccination is one of the strongest tools we have,” MEP Marta Temido says Europe needs an updated European vaccination strategy covering the whole life course and include monitoring with new digital tools and tackling disinformation. Health in all Policy Areas @socialistsanddemocrats.eu

MEP Tiemo Wölken @woelken.eu says that the EU cannot claim to deliver health for all if there is unequal access. “What good are innovative medicines if those who need it don’t have access.” Health in all Policy Areas @socialistsanddemocrats.eu

Health across all policy areas Kadri Soova @mentalhealtheurope.bsky.social says trade unions research estimates that work-related mental health issues costs the EU €100 billion each year. Suicide is the leading cause of death among 18-29 year olds. Welcomes S&D support for mental health plan.

Milka Sokolovic @epha-eu.bsky.social speaking at @socialistsanddemocrats.eu points to the shrinking civil space, in particular, the decision by the Commission funding of civil society orgs a mere 1% of EU4Health programme, which limits the ability of NGOs to participate

Professor Robert Barouki @inserm.fr says that the genome 🧬 has been the main focus of research, but the other side of health is the exposome the external factors that determine our health @socialistsanddemocrats.eu

Health policy in all areas @socialistsanddemocrats.eu MEP Estelle Ceulemans says she wants a Directive on psychosocial risk and prevention with employers shouldering more responsibility

“People’s choices are often shaped by powerful marketing strategies” @jerkovic Also looking at tobacco regulation says must be aligned with current knowledge. Says review of the Tobacco Products Directive was meant to be presented over four years ago @socialistsanddemocrats.eu

Health in all policies @cschaldemose.bsky.social focuses on REACH review and PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ says the EU needs to get rid in every day products. Criticises that industry has too strong a voice in the review. Calls for urgent action and for the EU to lead the way.

“The beginning of a political fight” @christopheclergeau.bsky.social launches 🚀 @socialistsanddemocrats.eu The two watch words are “prevention” and “preparedness”

Interesting research 🔬 on how T-cells could be more readily activated to respond to cancerous cells. scitechdaily.com/researchers-...

RFK (not so junior at 71) accuses Germany of "politically motivated prosecutions". Maybe he should reflect on his own trajectory and his science-free changes to vaccine recommendations.

For those keeping score, Bellingcat, The New York Times Visual Investigation Team, & Washington Post's Visual Forensic team have all published analysis showing the ICE shooter wasn't in the path of Renee Nicole Good’s vehicle when he shot her, contradicting statements by the President & his cronies

"There was never really good data to support that quantity of alcohol consumption. That data was probably primarily confused with broader data about social connectiveness." Confused? You will be.

As the US drops its RSV vaccination recommendation - among others. Ireland is consulting on the introduction of a RSV immunisation strategy for infants and those over 80, joining 22 other European countries who have introduced it for infants and eight who have introduced it for

It’s not our duty to just smile and nod when a man with this much power demonstrates that he’s a pathological liar and an imbecile. Quite the contrary. Real patriots say out loud this is just plain nuts and he’s unfit to hold office.

We had a good, one-hour-long call with President Trump, President Zelenskyy and several European leaders to discuss their meeting today on peace negotiations. There was good progress, which we welcomed.

Quite a busy end to the year in Brussels. There was the Biotech Act

I’m pleasantly surprised that CDC could still publish this report under the current regime.

It was a very long journey, and the last mile was the hardest, but we now have a deal. Lots of positives, but also some disappointment. www.vitalsigns.news/eu-reaches-l... #PharmaPackage #eu2025dk #DanishPresidency

Inside EU Health: Threat from foodborne bacteria; low-alcohol wine labelling; Serbia to join EU4Health programme; French COVID-19 mRNA vaccines study showed reduced mortality www.vitalsigns.news/inside-eu-he...

Courtesy of XKCD, but its seems it's still needed.

ACIP : "Dialogue is the best way to proceed toward truth," Malone. No, evidence is. Hoeg: "I would pay to see the debate between Dr Meisner and you" - that's between a Professor of Paediatrics and an Anti-vax lawyer. She then makes the clearly ridiculous claim that Siri is making a net loss

Kennedy's zombie ACIP panel just voted to restrict hepatitis B vaccine for newborns. Experts say it will harm children for no reason. www.ms.now/news/rfk-cdc... ACIP member Dr. Cody Meissner: "'Do no harm' is a moral imperative. We are doing harm by changing this wording. And I vote no."

"Definitively buries antivaxx accusations"

Great to see this à la une

EU Ministers backed a joint negotiating position on the Critical Medicines Act agreement, but some consider it a missed opportunity www.vitalsigns.news/council-reac...

Interesting discussion by EPSCO, on the Union prevention, preparedness, and response plan for health crises plan: The Czech delegation has answered my question"what’s actually new?" www.vitalsigns.news/inside-eu-he...

European Ombudswoman’s findings raise questions over the transparency and accountability of health proposals. Just heard a minister add the proviso to his statements that a proposal hadn't been accompanied by an impact assessment @ombudsman.europa.eu www.vitalsigns.news/maladministr...

EPSCO Health C'cil just adopted its General Approach on the Critical Medicines Act #eu2025dk But not everyone is happy. Belgium - which did the groundwork - abstained. Croatia would liked to have seen joint procurement cover medicines of common interest. Austria - said lessons not learnt from COVID

The VDL1 Commission literally introduced better regulation guidelines. In their own words: “the better regulation agenda helps the EU deliver evidence-based policies and laws that achieve their objectives in the most efficient way”

This will be disappointing for Novo, I guess we can't expect GLP-1s to cure every ill. Nevertheless, worth investigating. "Novo Nordisk A/S: Evoke phase 3 trials did not demonstrate a statistically significant reduction in Alzheimer's disease progression"

Armenia will host the next Conference of the Parties COP12 and MOP on the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Not the Eurovision Song Contest bit where we see Armenia, apparently there's a lot of wild camping. Not sure about those open fires in forests, thinking COP30...

Who wouldn’t want to suppress research that shows you in a bad light.

Plasma injections from teenagers. Dunno, might keep me younger, but I’ll give it a pass.

EU Commission spokesperson on tech. The difficulty here is that the Commission sent X a provisional finding of breach of the Digital Services Act 16 months ago, and has done nothing since. So why take this expression of concern seriously?

Such a Brussels way of thinking about the world. Of course, ‘roadmaps’ are necessary, but the roadmap as evidence of being serious? Serious intent, yes. Not scepticism or cynicism, but have seen roadmaps come and go with various levels of application. The proof of seriousness is in delivery. And…

While skimming through the full reports of the Covid Inquiry a link took me to the then UK Chief Scientific Adviser's contemporaneous notes. This is a beautifully succinct and damning summary of the problems with the Great Barrington Declaration.

Better late than never I guess, but most countries completed their Covid inquiries some time ago. www.vitalsigns.news/too-little-t...

Reminder that in Belgium - at least - it is very easy to get your vaccines, just pop in to the pharmacy and make an appointment www.vitalsigns.news/ecdc-urges-i...

The European Parliament will be working its way through hundreds of amendments on the Critical Medicines Act. MEP Tomislav Sokol says the parliament will likely insist on stronger criteria to ensure Europe's strategic autonomy in critical medicines. www.vitalsigns.news/urgent-actio...

Evidence schmevidence. RFK has turned the scientific method on its head. Don't ask a question, have an answer, then try to find evidence to support your view. A fraudulent study from 1998. Not a problem. #GoldStandardScience

Somebody needed to do this! Working as a breakfast waitress in a hotel in central London (about 100 years ago), the disappearance of teaspoons was a major problem. What I've always wondered about is where they go?

The EU/EEA is off track in meeting four of its five antimicrobial resistance targets. #WAAW #AntimicrobialResistance #AntimicrobialResistanceAwarenessWeek www.vitalsigns.news/europe-is-cu...

Looking forward to this! @ema.europa.eu are starting their own podcast

Late diagnosis results in worse outcomes. On HIV, most EU states have plans, but for Hepatitis B and C the picture is not so good. www.vitalsigns.news/eu-missing-o...

Not even going to get in to the weeds of how self-pitying Nuzzi's "I Did A Shit With My Clothes On: A Survivor's Tale" press tour is, OR that she landed another six-figure salary at a legacy publication ten months later. Look at this prose. If my mag got sent this, we'd have the writer arrested.

Mood m.youtube.com/watch?v=tC0F...

C’cil, Parliament and C’ion regroup today to tussle over some of the more tricky parts of the Pharma Package, including the voucher scheme aimed at supporting the development of new antimicrobials. The Pharma industry don’t like how it’s been capped, but EP and MSs unwilling to write a blank cheque