Article • Politics
Britain and Brexit
A largely stunned nation now asks what will happen to its beloved NHS and the EU medical professionals who are here to support it.
Healthcare politics
News • Investigation
NHS is impeding access to high priced drugs
Researchers from the University of Cambridge and the University of Bath, and The BMJ, show how NHS England, unable to budget for broad access to these drugs, tried to alter the outcome of the NICE process, and when it failed, defied NICE’s authority by rationing access to them.
Article • Compliance
The free ride is over!
At Europe’s most prestigious medical conferences, as many as half of the doctors attending are only there because of the generous sponsorship by pharmaceutical and medical technology companies. The practice has been going on for decades, to the point that continuing medical education (CME) in Europe is heavily dependent on the largess of these companies. In 2018 it all comes to an end when a…
Article • Home care
Pioneering NHS ‘test beds’
A ‘technology’ project to modernise healthcare for patients with long- term medical conditions is being trialled in the United Kingdom in seven ‘test bed’ initiatives. Test Beds, a term used to describe a technology project resulting from collaborations between the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) and international innovators, aims to harness technology to address issues facing…
Article • Management
NHS tackles bed blocking crisis
Bed blocking is a major problem within NHS hospitals across the UK, with thousands of patients sitting in hospital beds facing a ‘delayed discharge’ until the necessary next stage of their care becomes available. A delay may be non-availability of a temporary or permanent space in a residential home, or rehabilitation unit, or a smaller community hospital, or lack of a supportive care package…
Sponsored • Innovators-in-BC.com
Raising bladder cancer awareness
Bladder cancer is the 2nd most frequent urological cancer in men in Europe and the 7th most common cause of cancer-specific mortality.* Despite the fact that it is one of the most expensive cancers to treat from diagnosis to death**, it is still underrepresented in public awareness and cancer research. IPSEN aims to make a difference in providing Innovators in BC® – a website for international…
Medical device regulation in the EU and US needs urgent reform
Patients and clinicians need greater regulatory transparency to make informed decisions about treatment Medical devices approved first in the European Union (EU) are associated with a greater rate of safety issues, finds a study published by The BMJ.
Article • Epidemic
Ebola leaves a health legacy
First the good news: the most severe Ebola outbreak ever has been contained. Last December, Guinea, where the first infection was reported in late 2013, was declared free of Ebola cases. Liberia was considered free of Ebola in mid-January after no new case had been reported for 42 days (the WHO criterion for ‘free of Ebola’).
Article • Politics
Medics urged to organise refugee screening
Thousands upon thousands of humans have taken and are continuing to take flight from wars, persecution and economic stress, seeking the chance of survival in European and other countries. They arrive not only physically exhausted, but also in mourning for those killed in their own countries, or during hellish journeys – therefore many also suffer unimaginable mental traumas. Clearly they need…
Article • Brexit
Oncologists join the UK EU referendum debate
Leading oncologists from across Europe and the UK have joined the debate over the British referendum on whether to leave the EU, adding their support to the campaign to remain in the European Union. Report: Mark Nicholls
News • Statement
The BMJ backs Remain in the EU referendum
Today, The BMJ has decided to come out and state that the UK should remain in the European Union. “Some readers may wonder why The BMJ is intervening in a political debate,” say the editors. “We think this issue transcends politics and has such huge ramifications for health and society that it is important to state our case.”
News • Politics
Liquid biopsy test from Roche gets FDA approval
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the cobas EGFR Mutation Test v2, a blood-based companion diagnostic for the cancer drug Tarceva (erlotinib). This is the first FDA-approved, blood-based genetic test that can detect epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutations in non-small cell lung cancer patients. Such mutations are present in approximately 10-20 percent of non-small cell…
News • Experts
Europe needs to be prepared for Zika virus epidemic
The Zika epidemic has long assumed global proportions, experts told the Congress of the European Academy of Neurology in Copenhagen. Europe needs to get prepared to deal with the relentless spread of the health threat, in particular with a view to “imported” infection. Awareness for prevention and personal protection is important, in particular with thousands of athletes and fans soon…
Article • Mini Microscopes
Mobile technology could enhance digital pathology
Mobile technology could prove an important catalyst in helping take digital pathology onto a new level in delivering clinical diagnostics.
News • Epidemic
Global spread of Zika "of utmost concern"
The President of the World Federation of Neurology (WFN) Prof Raad Shakir (London), said today that following the first confirmed Zika-related case of microcephaly on US territory, in Puerto Rico, and the ever-growing number of sexually-transmitted Zika infections in Europe, “it is increasingly obvious that the Zika epidemic has long assumed global proportions.” As the opening of the Olympics…
News • Warning
Obesity needs urgent action
The leading organisation responsible for research into obesity in Europe has warned that unless something is quickly done to tackle the region’s rising obesity epidemic, it is going to have a devastating effect on healthcare costs and productivity.
News • Fraud
Fighting against counterfeit medicine
Around the world, especially in developing nations, counterfeit medicines are a real problem. Until now, in many countries there hasn't been a standard protocol to conduct investigations and pursue prosecution. New research, led by Michigan State University, is providing the foundation to apply criminology theory to preventing the production and sale of fake and substandard medicines.
Partners in crime: Stroke and Alzheimer’s disease
New EU-funded project CoSTREAM targets the common mechanisms and pathways of stroke, Alzheimer’s disease to improve disease prevention and treatment, by combining clinical, genetic, epidemiologic, metabolic and radiologic research to develop an organ-on-a-chip in vitro model for the blood-brain connection that will revolutionise drug-development.
News • Data Protection Regulation
COCIR urges harmonised enforcement of the DPR
COCIR welcomes the adoption of the European Data Protection Regulation (DPR). However, in order for the Regulation to deliver on its objectives, it is crucial that EU Member States move rapidly towards a harmonised interpretation and enforcement of its provisions. This will pave the way for growth, innovation and a data-driven healthcare sector.
Article • Young Lions Health Parliament
A think-tank of young professionals in Germany
What are the future opportunities for a better healthcare in Germany? The Young Lions (YL) Health Parliament is a platform for 80 young professionals to brainstorm about the possibilities for a sustainable health care system. The platform has started the first time in the year 2012 for two years – in the year 2016 the second period ends.
News • mcr-1 gene
Antibiotic resistance mechanism continues to spread
Researchers presented findings on the prevalence of the mcr-1 gene, a transferable genetic mechanism of antimicrobial-resistance to colistin - the last resort antibiotic in a number of circumstances. At a session dedicated to late-breaking abstracts on colistin resistance, researchers presented evidence on the prevalence of the gene in bacteria (including Enterobacteriaceae such as Escherichia…
News • Migrants
Stop denying migrants their fundamental right to healthcare
European countries must stop denying migrants their fundamental right to healthcare, argues a doctor in The BMJ today. Europe is experiencing the largest mass migration of people since the Second World War, according to estimates from the Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
News • Big Data
Could a computer tell you when your time is up?
Statisticians, computer scientists and medics from the University of East Anglia are launching a new project to predict how long you will live.
News • Europe
Medics call for urgent improvements in the quality of endoscopy
Every year, tens of millions of individuals across Europe undergo endoscopic procedures to assist with the diagnosis and management of gastrointestinal diseases. However, significant variation in current endoscopy provision across Europe has been reported, with back-to-back colonoscopy studies demonstrating that a concerning 22 percent of all adenomas are missed and that a three-to-six fold…
News • Congress
Obesity Day highlights growing obesity epidemic in Europe
The growing obesity epidemic, which is predicted to affect more than half of all European citizens by 2030, will be the focus of European Obesity Day to be held on 21 May under the theme: 'Action for a Healthier Future'.
