COVID-19 and medicines supply: “Are we running out of medicines?”
“Will I be able to access my biologics/biosimilars treatment?”, “Will my other IBD medicines be affected by COVID-19?”, “Are costs of my medicines likely to rise?”
These amongst other questions reflect some of the concerns and fears expressed by IBD patients in our recent survey on COVID-19 IBD patients´ perception. EFCCA is aiming to address these questions in collaboration with representatives from the European Medicines Agency, the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists and patient associations at our webinar scheduled for 25 June at 4 PM till 4.45 PM (CEST).
A few weeks within the COVID-19 pandemic patients of Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and several other immune modulated diseases struggled to access their much-needed medication, hydroxychloroquine, which is being used in several countries to treat severe cases of COVID-19. This situation has increased concerns of the availability of drugs for chronic patients that rely on a regular supply for their treatment as well as the supply medicines used at Intensive Care Units.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has been closely monitoring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the human and veterinary medicine supply chains in the EU. They have put measures in place to help prevent and mitigate possible disruptions to the supply of medicines in the European Union (EU) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Extraordinarily, EMA is acting as central coordinator in supporting Member States' activities in this area during the pandemic.
The European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) has spent considerable efforts in the last months to realize clinical care services in hospitals, community pharmacies and other pharmaceutical areas and have stressed that the increasing levels of medicine shortages across Europe pose severe threats to patient outcomes, patient safety and the patient care continuum. Read full position paper: https://www.eahp.eu/sites/default/files/eahp_position_paper_on_medicines_shortages_june_2019.pdf
EFCCA Patient Talks
During our webinar we, the IBD patient community, will talk to representatives from EMA and EAHP to have an exchange of information and gain a better understanding of the current situation and further outlook as well as to learn about measures that have been taken to guarantee a steady supply of medicines in the EU. The webinar will be structured as an interview style.
Programme:
4-4.30 PM (CEST)
Welcome and introduction to the webinar: Ciara Drohan, EFCCA Vice President and Member of the Irish Crohn´s and Colitis Society
Concerns from the IBD patient community: Ciara Drohan and Veronika Ivančíková, President of the Slovak Crohn´s Club
Interventions from the European Medicines Agency, Monica Dias
Interventions from the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP), Piera Polidori, Director of Professional Development
4.30 - 4.45 PM
Questions and Answers
To register please send an email stating your name and organisation to: veronica.pisco@efcca.org
See you at our EFCCA Patient Talk!!!