At Cancer Patients Europe our vision is to reduce the burden of cancer on patients and survivors, their carers, the healthcare system and society as a whole. We achieve this by giving patients voice in policies that drive prevention, high quality cancer care, treatment and survivorship in Europe.
Our policy work includes anticipating, providing advice and contributing to the formulation of relevant legislative proposals taking place at the European level. Our activities on policy include the publication of Calls to Action, position papers, input on consultations by the European Commission, the European Medicines Agency and direct engagement with policymakers.
Learn more about our policy work as we continue to push for a brighter future for the cancer community.
Health Technology Assessment
The EU Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Regulation, effective January 2025 for oncology and advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs), aims to improve access to innovative therapies by providing reliable and transparent information for healthcare decision-making. Despite advances, disparities in access to cancer treatments persist across the EU due to varying HTA methodologies. The new regulation seeks to address these differences and reduce fragmentation across the EU by providing reliable and transparent information to support decision-making in healthcare policy and practice at both national and European levels.
CPE is committed to inform and promote patient involvement in HTA. For that purpose, it is actively engaged as a member of the EU’s HTA Multistakeholder Network and has produced, published and disseminated responses to the European Commission’s consultations on its implementing acts to its members. CPE is also organising different actions to raise awareness among the cancer patient community on the importance of HTA for their life and wellbeing and the crucial role they can play in HTA processes.
If you would like to learn more, click on the following relevant links.
Relevant Links
- Health Technology Assessment – Joint clinical assessment of medicinal products
- Health Technology Assessment – Procedural rules for assessing and managing conflicts of interest
- Health Technology Assessment – Cooperation with the European Medicines Agency
- Concerned Stakeholders Issue Call to Action on the Clinical Assessment for ATMPs
- 10 Key Recommendations for Enhancing Joint Clinical Assessments Under the EU HTA Regulation
European Health Data Space
The European Health Data Space (EHDS) is a key initiative under the European Health Union, designed to empower individuals with control over their health data and facilitate its exchange across the EU for healthcare delivery. It also aims to create a unified market for electronic health records and establish a secure, trustworthy system for reusing health data in research and policymaking.
Together with our partners, CPE is actively calling for the European Health Data Space to be implemented in a way that provides most added value for patients and European health systems. If you would like to learn more, click on the following relevant links.
Pharmaceutical Strategy
In 2023, the European Commission proposed a revision of the General Pharmaceutical Legislation (GPL). This proposal, adopted by the Parliament in April 2024 aims to ensure timely and equitable access to safe, effective, and affordable medicines across the EU, enhance supply security, foster an innovation-friendly environment for medicine development, promote environmental sustainability, and address antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and pharmaceutical presence in the environment through a One Health approach. The proposal has additionally introduced the concept of “Unmet Medical Need” which shapes patient access to innovative treatments.
Together with our partners, CPE calls for the definition of Unmet Medical Needs to remain broad and flexible rather than rigidly defined to support the development of new therapies, avoid hindering innovation and prevent healthcare disparities.
EU Cross border clinical trials
Access to cross-border clinical trials is crucial for providing cancer patients with enhanced access to innovative treatments, which can significantly improve treatment outcomes and, in some cases, be a matter of life or death. However, there is currently no EU-wide legal framework defining the conditions for accessing these trials across national borders and clinical trials are not equally available in all EU Member States, leading to large disparities across Europe.
CPE call for the development of an EU framework for cross-border clinical trials to achieve equity and ensure that all cancer patients, regardless of their location, can benefit from advancements in treatments.
CPE is a member of EU-X-CT, a multi-stakeholder initiative led by EFGCP and EFPIA, aimed at systematically collecting information on the barriers to cross-border participation in clinical trials from across Europe and developing recommendations for enabling better access. Click on the link to learn more about EU-X-CT.
Relevant Links
Access to prescription medicines online
Online dispensing and home delivery of medicines is of critical importance for patients, especially for chronically ill and rural patients who face challenges such as distance and mobility issues, which have been shown to impact medication adherence and overall health. Currently, while eight EU Member States and three EEA countries benefit from online prescription services, 19 Member States still lack this option, limiting patient choice and convenience.
CPE is a member of the OnHOME alliance which aims to address these disparities advocating for the revision of the General Pharmaceutical Legislation (GPL) to patients to obtain their prescription medicines online and get them delivered at home by registered pharmacies across all Member States.
Relevant Links
