Policy Newsletter 8th Edition

POLICY NEWSLETTER

Welcoming Words

Welcoming Words

Dear Readers,

It is my greatest pleasure to present to you the second Policy Newsletter of the EPSA mandate 2022-2023. I hope this will inspire you to continue working on your advocacy path because everyone can be part of the small changes!

Throughout the Newsletter, you will have the opportunity to discover interesting members and national news Moreover, you will have the chance to learn about the news from Brussels and the news from our new intern Two EPSA Alumni also let me interview them, and I truly hope this will give you some tips and ideas regarding your professional project for the future! In the last section, you can finally find opportunities to engage more in advocacy and extend your network!

I would like to thank personally each person that contributed to the creation of this Policy Newsletter

I wish you a great reading and kindly ask you to please keep in mind to what extent you can make a difference just by being informed and engaged, because every step matters!

Yours in EPSA, Charlotte Thibault Policy Coordinator (2022-2023)

News from Interns

News from Interns

Hello everyone!

My name is Mauve Jézéquel, and I am the current Educational Affairs Coordinator at EPSA. I am a 22 year old pharmacy student from Rouen, France; I have completed my 3rd year degree and I am currently in the middle of a gap year.

I took this year off to focus on my different associative commitments, it is important for me to give my all when I am part of a project, and I am glad I had the opportunity to take a break from my studies.

I joined the interns in Brussels in January, and at the same time I started my internship at PPTA (the Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association). Its main objective is to advocate for accessible and affordable therapies for patients. Every year, millions of plasma donations are made in Europe and the US, but the need continues to grow (especially after the COVID pandemic) I am thrilled to be part of this association that promotes better health for all.

My main task is to coordinate their social media; I develop communication action plans, write articles and post on twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. This is my first internship in this field and it is a great challenge.

My position in Brussels also allows me to join and represent EPSA at live events, which is a great opportunity to make new connections.

Feel free to contact me if you want to know more about all these projects!

Yours in EPSA, Mauve Jezequel

Educational Affairs Coordinator 2022/2023

News from Brussels

News from Brussels

IMMUNION project General Assembly

On the 16th and 17th of January, EPSA's President, Gabriel Branco, and Vice President of European Affairs, Catarina Silva, were present at the IMMUNION project General Assembly and Coalition for Vaccination Conference, respectively

The IMMUNION General Assembly had the aim of evaluating the project and determing concrete conclusions about its next steps. On the Coalition for Vaccination Conference, jointly organised by the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU), the Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME) and the European Federation of Nurses Associations (EFN), Catarina was part of the panel discussion "Supporting vaccination communication of healthcare professionals" where she spoke on behalf of EHSAS, the European Healthcare Students, Associations Summit, highlight the importance of facilitating vaccination access to fight vaccine hesitancy amongst young people and the need of implementing soft skills in the healthcare curricula for students, and future professionals, to confidently communicate with patients about vaccines. Gabriel delivered a presentation on EPSA's work regarding vaccination and the power of Students' Associations on influencing and educating young people, underlining the crucial role of the next generation of healthcare pressionals.

News from Brussels

Claim the Future

To celebrate the end of the European Year of Youth 2022, our Vice President of European Affairs, Catarina Silva, was present at the closing conference "Claim the Future" held at the European Parliament, in Brussels. The discussions focused essentially on achieving an inclusive and digital Europe through education as well as ensuring European well-being by mainstreaming mental health care

News from Members

News from Members

PPSA

Do we need the development of vaccination services in pharmacies?

In November, we started a nationwide discussion about vaccination at the pharmacies At the moment, in Poland, pharmacists have the right to vaccinate patients against flu and COVID-19 after receiving appropriate training. Following the regulations in other EU countries, we decided to conduct a survey to find out what is the opinion of potential patients about this service in Poland and the possibilities of its development. Discussion meetings were held in each of the PPSA branches, where PPSA members had the opportunity to learn about the applicable regulations on vaccinations in pharmacies in Poland, get to know the opinions of other students, take part in the discussion, and form their own opinion on the subject.

In December, we started the promotion of the survey, which was created in cooperation with the entire advocacy team of PPSA Poland. Through this survey, we would like to find out what is the opinion on the introduction of vaccination by pharmacists, whether it was necessary, whether patients are satisfied with this service, and how they see the possibility of its development in the future. As an organisation associating pharmacy students in Poland, we are sure that the subject of vaccinations in pharmacies is very important, and the introduction of this law had a very positive impact on the health care system. We believe that expanding the scope of this pharmaceutical service has great potential in terms of relieving the healthcare system and increasing patients' trust in pharmacists

Justyna Mrowiec, Spokesperson and Oliwia Dobbek, Vice President of International Relations spokesperson@ptsf.pl

News from Members

ANEPF

WEEP2I - The International and Industrial Weekend for French Pharmacy Students

From 20 to 22, January 2023 took place in Bordeaux, France the 3rd edition of the International and Industrial Weekend for French Pharmacy Students. A training event organised by and for pharmacy students from ANEPF (National Association of Pharmacy Students of France). It helps to orient students, and present professional perspectives as a pharmacist in the industry and internationally. A big thank you to the EPSA trainers for their great training on personal development to develop the participants' soft skills. It was also the opportunity to carry out several simulations of the European Parliament! Nearly a hundred of them were able to put themselves in the shoes of MEPs to vote on a European Commission law. And thus become aware of their duty as citizens and that of our French and European representatives. After the French Presidency of the EU, the European Year of Youth, and on the eve of the European elections, it is important to bring the voice of youth organisations into the debate and to discuss the EU we want. This is the case for French pharmacy students.

Pauline LAVENANT, Vice President of European Affairs in ANEPF affaires.europeennes@anepf.org

News from Members

APEF Medicines shortages

Medicine, the most widely used revolutionary therapeutic pathway in the world, is essential to the daily life and health of a thriving society. Without it, many of the problems of the past recur and settle in, increasing mortality and the burden on the Healthcare Systems of the different States. The scarcity of medicines has been a harsh reality that haunts not only Portugal but also several other countries in Europe and the world in recent years, having been further reinforced and highlighted by the pandemic. It has been a fickle problem, as there are times when these shortages decrease and others when they increase.

This year, the lack of medicines has been the target of action by the governmental and competent authorities, bearing in mind that the situation has worsened in 2023. However, it is known that to date there has not been a complete shortage of any medicine.

Thus, in order to try to reduce the damage to Portuguese society, some measures regarding the use and availability of medicine were discussed and imposed. A list has been developed, by pharmaceutical specialists and other healthcare professionals, of drugs that cannot be scarce in any way in Portuguese pharmacies. This measure aims to monitor the availability of the drugs on the list and, at the same time, prevent shortages for patients. Another implemented measure was the increase in about 5% of the cheapest medicines, in order to reduce the shortage of them and reduce the burden of the Portuguese National Healthcare System in their acquisition.

Given the nature of this challenge, it is essential to establish objective and effective priorities and methods to combat drug shortages, preferably covering and engaging all countries.

Beatriz Rodrigues, Vice-president of International Relations vice.internacional@apef.pt

News from Members

BPhD

Continued work on a study reform

The BPhD continues to deal with the Approbationsordnung für Apotheker (licensing regulations for pharmacists) and advocates for the need to innovate German pharmacy studies. The internal planning of the project takes up the largest capacities of the BPhD-internal task force dealing with this project.

Even though the planning phase is currently the main focus of political advocacy, an appointment with the Federal Ministry of Health is planned for the near future, as well as consultation with the Federal Association of German Pharmacists' Associations (ABDA). The appointments will be attended by the BPhD President Miriam Sprafke, the Officer for Teaching and Studies Laila Haroon, and the Officer for Health Policy Julian Held.

Julian Held, Officer for health politics in BPhD epsa@bphd.de

News from Members

Greece

One Health Greece

GPSF is a proud founding member of the "One Health Greece" alliance, which is made up of student associations from various faculties, such as pharmacy, medicine, veterinary, public health, environmental science, etc. Greek students, realising the importance of partnership and interprofessional collaboration between health scientists, proceeded to establish the first One Health umbrella organisation in Greece. During the last meeting which was held at the end of January between the representatives of the Member Associations, we discussed our plan of action and set goals for the future.

One of our main goals is to effectively advocate for various health issues, such as AMR, climate change, zoonotic diseases, or access to health care, by utilising an approach that leverages the strengths and expertise of different sectors and disciplines. To achieve this we plan to raise awareness and educate our students and the public about interconnections between human, animal, and environmental health, as well as the importance of addressing these issues holistically. Moreover, we intend to shape a strategy that will allow us to approach and engage with policymakers, provide them with relevant and evidence-based information and thus, have a greater impact on the shaping of health policies. We are optimistic that this is the beginning of an intervention that will contribute to more effective education for all and pave the way to addressing complex health challenges in a more effective manner.

Evi Papadopoulou, President in GPSF gpsf.advocacy@gmail.com

National News

National News

Poland

Law news from Poland!

With the beginning of the new year, the work on many legal changes regarding pharmacy in Poland has begun The first of them is the adoption of the act on clinical trials The new regulations will enable the full application of European Union law in this respect They are also intended, by the Ministry of Health, to increase the attractiveness of conducting clinical trials in Poland The most important issues covered by this act include: defining the mode of appointment, composition, and tasks of the Chief Bioethics Committee, no possibility of collecting fees from the trial participant by the entity conducting the trial, civil liability of the researcher and sponsor of clinical trials, creation of the Clinical Trials Compensation Fund, which is to ensure the protection of trial participants in terms of the insurance.

The act also introduced the possibility of issuing a pharmaceutical prescription for the flu vaccine. Thanks to this change, patients will have easier access to this vaccine, due to the lack of the need for visits to the doctor, which are often associated with queues and exposure to contact with pathogens through visits to medical facilities. Such a solution may have a positive impact on the number of vaccinations against the flu, and thus a decrease in the number of cases among the population.

National News

Poland

Law news from Poland!

A draft amendment to the Food Safety and Nutrition Act had also been published The introduction of new solutions is due to the huge consumption of dietary supplements among Poles, as well as the huge number of registrations of new products of this type By over-advertising dietary supplements, patients spend a lot of money on them and also believe that in this way they will easily improve their health The new draft specifies the requirements for the labelling, presentation, or advertising of dietary supplements, which includes the reliability of the information provided and the prohibition of misleading.

Due to the frequent lack of knowledge about the differences between a drug and a dietary supplement, solutions were proposed regarding restrictions on advertising in terms of the target group, i.e. children, as well as possible associations with products or medicinal products. In addition, the advertisement for a dietary supplement can not use the image of medical workers and people with degrees and titles in the fields of medical and health sciences. In addition, the draft contains information that a dietary supplement may not be associated with a drug through advertising, packaging, or name. Excessive consumption of dietary supplements is a growing problem in society, which may be positively influenced by the proposed changes.

Justyna Mrowiec, Spokesperson in PPSA and Oliwia Dobbek, Vice President of International Relations in PPSA spokesperson@ptsf.pl

National News

France

French pharmacy students in the fight against drugs shortages in France and the EU

For several months, France, but also other countries of the European Union, have been suffering drug shortages Despite the urgency and importance of this health problem, it is not new Drug stock-outs have worsened considerably in recent years In France, drug shortages have increased by 20% between 2008 and 2018 45% of the finished medicines we consume are produced outside the EU. For active ingredients such as ibuprofen or paracetamol, 80% are manufactured in Asia, compared to only 20% thirty years ago. These countries requisition their stock to answer their national needs. Thus, EU countries remain vulnerable and without alternatives. The COVID-19 pandemic has only aggravated this phenomenon, by highlighting European dependence on Indian and Chinese production chains in particular. What consequences for patients? Treatments for cancers, infections, and nervous system disorders, essential medicines, account for more than half of these shortages. Access to care is delayed in 59% of cases and even cancelled in 39% of cases. This puts patients at considerable risk and weakens health systems.

National News

France

French pharmacy students in the fight against drugs shortages in France and the EU (part 2)

What are the causes of drug stock-outs? The causes are multifactorial: the massification of the demand superior to the production capacity (more particularly with the resurgence of winter pathologies), the concentration of suppliers in Asia and in the United States, the low price of medicines in France What is ANEPF doing in the face of drug shortages? The pharmacy students of France have been making proposals for years now We continue to carry out our contribution "Pharmaceutical strategy for Europe" which contains 19 proposals on production, target products, drug prices, transparency, evaluation of shortages, and actors.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/10lq5dUBTPSebjn0i vYgKmxvZBoKyHd3/vi ew?usp=sharing

Pauline LAVENANT, Vice President of European Affairs in ANEPF affaires europeennes@anepf org

National News

Germany

New legal groundwork for the pharmacy state examination

At the beginning of January, the Federal Ministry of Health held a hearing on “The right to examination of the health professions”. Julian Held, Health Policy Officer, represented the pharmacy students on behalf of the BPhD Three points were central to the training of pharmacists: Firstly, the number of examiners for oral state examinations in the second and third sections of the Pharmaceutical Examination is now fixed uniformly across all of Germany. This should create equal opportunities for candidates from all the universities, as the number of examiners is known in advance. Secondly, the possibility of online teaching formats should finally be anchored in the licensing regulations. This provides legal certainty for teachers and students that these formats can be used to add value and flexibility to the studies. Thirdly, it is to be stipulated that the chairperson of the examination board cannot ask questions in an oral examination that are not in his or her field of examination The BPhD welcomes this decision for the fairness of the examination, but at the same time sees the danger of an examiner shortage, especially in the subject of clinical pharmacy. The subject of clinical pharmacy has been established in german pharmacy studies for a couple of years, yet there is often a lack of professors at a local level. Since clinical pharmacy is a core competency for all pharmacists, BPhD advocates for an urgent change. From the BPhD's point of view, this situation is unsustainable and requires urgent change, especially since clinical pharmacy is one of the pharmacist's core competencies.

Julian Held, Officer for health politics in BPhD epsa@bphd.de

National News

Great medicine shortage in the Netherlands

Medicine shortages have become a very big problem worldwide in recent years. The Netherlands also has to deal with this. Dutch pharmacies have to face this challenge daily, but fortunately, they have been able to handle many of the arising issues, so the problems for the patients have remained minimal. However, the increasing shortage from 1007 to 1514 different drugs, retrieved from the Royal Dutch Pharmacists Association (KNMP), shows an increase of over 50% from 2021 to 2022! This leaves pharmacists and pharmaceutical associations worried An average of 17 5 hours a week are spent on these shortages by the pharmacy teams, due to taking time to explain this to patients, searching for alternatives, and keeping contact with prescribers and health care providers. This leaves pharmacy employees frustrated, as they would rather use this time to provide actual care.

So what is the cause? This is difficult to pinpoint, as many factors play a role. For example, problems with production, distribution, quality, or an increase in demand. The Netherlands is at the back of the line when it comes to the supply of medicines. This is due to the low number of inhabitants and the relatively low medicine consumption compared to other countries Moreover, medicine prices have decreased in recent years due to restricting regulations, which makes the Netherlands relatively unattractive for medicine manufacturers. This especially becomes a problem if there are already drug shortages.

National News

Great medicine shortage in the Netherlands (part 2)

Last December, InnoGeneric (a big Dutch manufacturer of generic drugs) went bankrupt. This could have led to big drug shortages, the minister of Health warned the Dutch parliament. In the Netherlands, there are already problems regarding drug shortages due to the national drug reimbursement policies, so the loss of this manufacturer would have meant even bigger shortages and accompanying other issues arising. Fortunately, the manufacturer was last-minute bought up by a raw drug material supplier with some financial aid from the state. Therefore, the drug producer has been relaunched, but it will be in a reduced manner as fewer drugs are likely to be produced.

From January 1st, 2023, the safety stock regulation will be used, which obliges manufacturers to keep stock for two and a half months. This is meant to catch half of the medicine shortages. The medicine shortages are also on the agenda for the European Commission, which will hopefully also aid the worldwide problem. Although this may seem to be a solution to the problem, the underlying issue will not be resolved by it. Therefore, fierce debate on this matter can still be expected in the future.

This piece is written by the committee for pharmaceutical policy from K.N.P.S.V. The Netherlands

Alumni News

Jorge Batista

Could you introduce yourself briefly?

Hello everyone! My name is Jorge Batista, and I am a Portuguese pharmacist by training, living in Brussels at the moment. I am currently working in PGEU - the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union, as a Professional Affairs Advisor, and I am also doing a Ph.D in International Health, Specialising in Health Policies and Development.

What is your academic background + engaging initiatives when you were a student?

When I was a Pharmacy student, I first joined my local students associations, in the area of training and education. It was very interesting to me, especially because we were starting to develop training programs on soft skills. I had the honor to be amongst the first Portuguese EPSA trainers, delivering trainings on soft-skills for pharmacy students. I soon became more involved at the National level and then at the European level, as I was part of the EPSA Team between 2012 and 2014, as Educational Affairs Coordinator and Vice-President of Education. This experience shaped my interest in health policies and international affairs, which have since then have been linked with my professional career.

Could you please detail your position and missions at the moment? What were your previous work experiences?

At PGEU - the European organisation that represents community pharmacists - I work at the core of professional development, following up on the European and national developments in the area of pharmacy and health in general, and supporting members on the development of the profession. This is highly tied with the implementation of pharmacy services - advanced healthcare interventions led by pharmacists with the aim of improving patients health and producing positive health outcomes. Before joining PGEU I worked for the Portuguese Pharmaceutical Society - the regulatory authority for the profession of pharmacists in Portugal (the Chamber) - as Secretary General, International Affairs Lead, and Pharmacist responsible for the Continuous Professional Development Program. This experience at the national level was essential to broaden the horizons about possible pharmaceutical interventions.

A particular health policy topic you are interested in and why?

I especially like the topic of vaccination, since this is an added value that pharmacists can take in broadening their scope of intervention, thus contributing to protecting public health. It is clear now more than ever that vaccines are an essential tool to prevent diseases and this particular health policy area is of great importance.

Andreea Iordache

Could you introduce

My name is Andreea Iordache and I am a pharmacy graduate from Romania, living in Brussels for a bit over 2 years. I am also an EPSA Soft-Skills Trainer from 2019. I am passionate about the healthcare field and I enjoy being part of the small changes that will make a better and healthier life for everyone in the future. In my free time, I love drawing, travelling, discovering the hidden treasures of Brussels, reading books, or just spending time with my friends.

What is your academic background + engaging initiatives when you were a student?

I studied at the Faculty of Pharmacy in Bucharest, Romania, from where I graduated in 2020. Starting with my first year of studies, I was engaged as a volunteer in the local student association and I started joining the events organized by the national one, FASFR Romania. I was very passionate about research and lab work at that time and together with a friend of mine, we decided to participate in our first EPSA event in the spring of 2018 in Baarlo, The Netherlands, to present our research project during Science Day. The event was much more than we could ever imagine, so we attended almost every EPSA event organized ever since and made many friends across Europe. I then applied for the 14th EPSA TNT and became a Soft-Skills Trainer and then I became part of the EPSA Team, first as Educational Affairs Coordinator and then as Vice President of Education.

Could you please detail your position and missions at the moment? What were your previous work experiences?

At the moment, I am working as a Junior Manager of Science & Regulatory Affairs for Vaccines Europe, a specialized group within the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) - the professional association representing the innovative pharmaceutical industry in Europe. Vaccines Europe aims to drive a sustainable and resilient vaccines environment in Europe, protecting people against infectious diseases at all stages of life.

In my daily activities, I am interacting with members from the 15 innovative and research-based vaccine companies that our association represents, working together on different topics in the area of Research & Development, Medical, Manufacturing and Supply, Regulatory Affairs, and health emergency preparedness and response. We organize regular working group meetings, issue position papers, answer public consultations, proactively represent industry views on key issues of common interest addressed at the EU level, and raise awareness about the value of vaccines and vaccination for society.

Andreea Iordache

My passion of working with and for the pharmaceutical industry started during my studies, when I was an intern at Zentiva in the Quality Assurance Department and then at Novartis in the Clinical Trials Monitoring Department. Right after graduation, I started my internship with EFPIA in the Science Policy and Regulatory Affairs Team and then I was offered a position split between the same team and my current team.

A particular health policy topic you are interested in and why?

It is hard to choose, as I am still learning a lot and there are many topics I am excited to work on. If I would have to choose only one, I think for the moment I would go with antimicrobial resistance (AMR), as it allows me to connect the scientific knowledge obtained during my studies with the challenges posed by the research and development in the field. Additionally, AMR is a very complex topic and the impact on the overall population is significant. It might be possible that this way, my inner self hopes to make a small contribution for a healthier tomorrow.

Opportunities

Annual Reception

On the 28th of March come join us at the Annual Reception!

This is EPSA’s event of excellence held in Brussels! The EPSA team will present their activities and achievements from the previous year to external bodies such as professional organizations, European institutions, other students organizations, and companies.

The event is completely free of charge and it is the perfect moment to extend your professional network and get to know the current initiatives being tackled.

European youth event

The EYE (European Youth Event) brings together at the European Parliament in Strasbourg and online thousands of young people from all over the European Union and the world, to share and shape their ideas on Europe’s future.

It is a unique opportunity for 16 to 30-year-olds to interact, inspire each other and exchange their views with experts, activists, influencers and decisionmakers, right in the heart of European democracy.

https://european-youth-event.europarl.europa.eu/fr/

Learn how to advocate!

MUN stands for Model United Nations and is an educational and academic simulation of diplomatic decision-making During a MUN conference, students aged 12 and older learn about diplomacy, international relations, the United Nations and other international organizations. MUN teaches its participants, called "Delegates" valuable skills like researching, public speaking, debating, writing, teamwork, and cultural empathy.

Why Participate?

1) You will become amazing at public speaking, debating, and teamwork skills.

2) You will learn about the way international organizations like to UN work!

3) You will make a lot of new connections and friends around the world!

4) You will make an internationally recognized addition to your CV!

5) You will travel the world!

https://mymun.com