“Built in Europe for the world, this is W”

Here's a summary of today's #EPSCO meeting of health ministers. The Swedes organised a breakfast with ten countries to discuss the #MFN. The issue will be addressed again over lunch. It provides important context for the EU's legislative proposals.

#EPSCO adopts General Approach on Biotech Act Directive - but some members are unhappy with the balance between innovation and safety. Some want the EU to maintain a more precautionary approach on expediting procedures for the use of certain genetically modified micro-organisms (GMMs).

A very interesting ruling. I don't follow tech policy closely as a health journalist, but since it spills over into areas like spreading misinformation, disinformation and concerns about young people and their mental health....

"I hosted a breakfast meeting with 10 countries most affected by the MSN policy, discussing how to work together in strengthening Europe, strengthening access to medicine," Jakob Forssmed, Swedish Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health #EPSCO #MostFavoredNation

Minister is worried that Most Favored Nation will make a bad situation worse when it comes to access to innovative medicines. "We need to coordinate, have a common approach". He says that it is particularly important for those countries who are "in the basket" included in the MFN pricing decisions.

Spanish Health Minister also wants to raise the healthcare workforce problems #EPSCO "Everyone is more or less worried about MFN". Says that there needs to be a response at the national level, but need a common EU strategy is also needed.

Frank Vandenbroucke, Belgian Health Minister recalls on the need for the EU to respond with "unity and solidarity" on Trump's "Most Favored Nation". The answer is to develop the resilience of our pharmaceutical system, ... but this based on internal solidarity. #EPSCO

Dancing Health Minister Zsolt Hegedűs has a message for health ministers meeting in Brussels today: "Let's work together; let's dance". #EPSCO

Listening to the doorsteps of health minister arriving for the #EPSCO meeting, but interspersed with minister arriving for the #GeneralAffairs The Swedish minister has said the EU Budget MFF nego box is a "no-go box", then demanded more investment in EU priorities #CognitiveDissonance

"Why adopting Reform-lite rhetoric or intensifying enforcement measures rarely resolves the political problem for centre-left parties: the goalposts constantly move because the politics is not designed to produce resolution. It is designed to sustain a permanent sense of crisis and cultural threat."

Looking forward to moderating the European Biotech Forum, the Parliament Magazine event #PMBiotech Here's an article @vitalsignsnews.bsky.social from when the Biotech Act was proposed in December. @europabio.bsky.social @amgen.bsky.social www.vitalsigns.news/europe-pushe...

Attending Economist Enterprise event on “Economics of Obesity and Metabolic Health Summit”. Listening to someone talk about American employers plans, in some depth. Not sure that European employers will get too embroiled in funding GLP-1s

In the course of today, His Majesty’s Government will do both of the following things: - moan loudly about X and blame it for the grotesque scenes in Belfast; - create huge amounts of content for X to monetise To govern is to choose.

I’m a little perplexed by @jdportes.bsky.social reposting this view, which is in itself a muddle between Northern Ireland’s past and current events.

Who would have thought that someone with well-documented exploitative business practices would... etc...

Who needs CAR-T cell therapy when you can have cattle dewormer.

More winning...

Sigh. After Brexit the Swexit and Frexit supporters melted away.

Don't want to be a cynic, but getting people vaccinated is a 'powerful' message that hospitalisation has serious costs for insurance companies. It is I suspect informed self interest, that happens to be for the common good.

Inside EU Health: 📜 ENVI committee raises doubts over Biotech Act SPC extension 💶 490 health experts urge EU to ring-rence €10 billion for health in EU budget 🌡️ European Patients'​ Forum Patients’ Forum (EPF) barometer on the involvement of patient organisations www.vitalsigns.news/inside-eu-he...

Hundreds of experts call for a dedicated health budget in the next EU Budget. #EuropeanHealthUnion #MFF #MultiannualFinancialFramework #EUBudget #Health www.vitalsigns.news/490-experts-...

The proposed 12-month extension of the Supplementary Protection Certificate is likely to be one of the most contentious issues in the discussions on the future Biotech Act. @nicogcasares.bsky.social @envi.europarl.europa.eu #BiotechAct #SPC #Biotech #EUBiotech www.vitalsigns.news/envi-opinion...

AI great for diagnostics, surveillance (blood pressure, disease spread...), real world evidence, pharmacovigilance, drug discovery... even clinical trials, it could help with selection, monitoring... Will CTs still be expensive and time consuming? Probably, but maybe less so and more precise

As someone who is always helping bees escape maybe I’ve been underestimating them.

Have just subscribed to @phillipspobrien.bsky.social Happy to pay a modest sum for the excellent insights, but could you please consider moving to another platform like Ghost.org? It's meant to be quite easy to move

The latest Inside EU Health

The health workforce is an issue for every EU country. Yesterday MEPs from @sant.europarl.europa.eu and @empl.europarl.europa.eu voted on a draft report. It will go to the Parliament's plenary in July. Maybe one of the Commission's 'European Skills High Level Board' led by @ylvajohansson.se

It seems coherent for the @ecdc.europa.eu to cover all diseases - not just communicable, invest in updating surveillance and be ready to deal with growing threats - including biothreats. However the EU's long term budget proposal does not foresee a budget increase...

An excellent example of how bias can have serious health consequences

Good to see the COVID vaccine in there. I have a feeling we’ve forgotten what a remarkable achievement that was.

From @thetimes.com: When @craigspencer.bsky.social survived #Ebola in 2014, a top US hospital saved him. Now, a White House policy mandates infected US citizens be treated in Africa. The planned facility at Kenya’s Laikipia base is already halted by Kenya's High Court after public outrage.

It's amazing how hard it can be to not say "World Health Organization". 🥨 www.state.gov/releases/off...

Very interesting on all sorts of subjects from enlargement to the MFF - sees no reason why there couldn't be an agreement on it this year. Which would be quite a success.

Umh, someone has tried to establish an account for me on a rather dodgy-looking site for "hooking up with hotties". I'm afraid that the only thing that is hot at the moment is the temperature in Brussels, but I guess "thanks" to the person who thought I might want to avail of this service...

Impressive, from Ireland.

Seriously Cyprus

Ebola: @who.int have revised the risk assessment to very high at the national level, high at the regional level and low at the global level. So far 82 cases have been confirmed with seven confirmed deaths. We know the epidemic in DRC is much larger, there are 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected

1. Number of stories about Trump buying and selling hundreds of millions of dollars in stocks in the first three months of 2026: CBS: 0 CNN: 0 Fox News: 0 NPR: 0 PBS: 0 Politico: 0 Semafor: 0 Business Insider: 0

Incredible, every day...

Obviously, I feel for all these people who died but among the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) is a young person who committed suicide eight days after their second dose. OR the 18-year-old who had a seizure after their first dose, but death cert says fentanyl complicated by drowning.

Two UK NGOs @justtreatment.org and @globaljusticenow.bsky.social are challenging the medicines deal reached between the UK and US. The deal brings significant extra costs to the NHS, but has secured 0% tariffs on medicines.

This is also the reason I stopped going to my yoga class.

Well deserved #WHA79

Today's newsletter #Ebola #Biosecurity #GlobalHealth #WHA76 #WHO #Hantavirus #Biodefence #ECDC #FCTC #Tobacco #NicotinePouches #Nicotine @who.int @europabio.bsky.social

A frequent putdown in British politics is to say something is a '6th form' debate. 6th formers in 2016 were unable to vote, but when polled, were very opposed to Brexit. The sixth formers (5th, 4th, 3rd...) of 2016 are now able to vote; maybe they care more about the future and should be listened to

Surely research is one thing that really does make America great…

Ebola outbreak declared PHEIC.

“But in an interview on Friday, Dr. Hoeg said she ‘stuck with the science’.” She may well have said this, but seriously. And “Top drug regulator” is a role she was given, though I guess Makary was “the top” during her mercifully short term in office. It’s misleading.

Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are racing to contain a new Ebola outbreak #Ebola #AfricaCDC #DRC #WHO #ECDC