2nd Edition 2021 - 2022
POLICY NEWSLETTER
Contents
Welcoming Words. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Intern News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Chloé Lebbos (Vice President of European Affairs). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Gabriel Branco (EPSA Parliamentarian). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Fatumata Seck(Policy Coordinator) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Sarah Ramezani (Publications Coordinator) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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News from Brussels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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European year of yuth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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The review of the general pharmaceutical legislation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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News from our Members. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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National News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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White Paper - The Vision of Young Pharmacists for the Decade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Trilateral coalition agreement formed by the new German government. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Vaccination by pharmacy students in community pharmacies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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News from EPSA’s Alumni . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Marko Ocokoljić. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Welcoming words Dear readers, It is a pleasure to present to you the 5th edition of the Policy Newsletter! I hope you enjoy this edition that once again is planned to update you on the latest policy and advocacy news, both from a students’ and a European point of view. This edition includes a new section, the “Meet the EPSA Alumni”, where you will be able to meet one of EPSA’s Alumni still working with advocacy and policy. The first step to being active in advocacy is to be informed and aware of the news, so in this edition, I invite you to have a closer look and reflect on how much we can achieve as students. I wish you a good reading and always remember to stay safe.
Fatumata Seck Policy Affairs Coordinator 2021/2022
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POLICY NEWSLETTER
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WELCOMING WORDS
Intern News Chloé Lebbos (Vice President of European Affairs) My name is Chloé Lebbos, I am 23 years old and a 5th year pharmacy student from Montpellier, France. I currently hold the position of EPSA Vice President of European Affairs. This year, together with Gabriel, I am an intern at the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU), which is the umbrella organisation for Community Pharmacies across Europe. We are there helping with the Secretariat’s daily missions, such as monitoring news and Brussels’ hot topics, external communication, attending to national members’ requests which enables us to learn a lot about the community practises all over Europe. We also have insight on important dossiers by attending PGEU meetings. By having interns at PGEU, EPSA can actively participate in the work of one of the most important stakeholders in our sector that represent community pharmacists and pharmacies, where the majority of pharmacists work. In addition to that, PGEU is always available to guide, collaborate or even just promote EPSA’s work, which makes this partnership even stronger.
EUROPEAN PHARMACEUTICAL STUDENTS’ASSOCIATION
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Gabriel Branco (EPSA Parliamentarian) My name is Gabriel Branco, I am 22 years old and a 5th year pharmacy student from Lisbon, Portugal. Currently, I hold the position of EPSA Parliamentarian. When I was at the beginning of my studies, there were quite a few EPSA interns in my faculty, and since then I wanted to become a part of this project. Initially, I did not plan to do it this year, but when PGEU announced that they had a spot available, I started drafting my application right away. I have always followed the work of PGEU and attended several events with speakers from there, so I couldn’t let this opportunity, which might not arise next year, dissipate.
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POLICY NEWSLETTER
Intern News
Fatumata Seck (Policy Coordinator)
My name is Fatumata Seck and I’m a newly graduated pharmacist from the University of Algarve, Portugal. I’m also currently holding the position of Policy Coordinator and I’m an EPSA intern in the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), the representative of the biopharmaceutical industry operating in Europe. Ever since I started my studies in pharmaceutical sciences, I’ve always had the desire to know more about the pharmaceutical industry, especially being a field that as students we don’t have much contact with during our studies. Therefore, I was extremely excited to have the chance to do this internship as part of the Regulatory, Drug development & Manufacturing and Science Policy team, which has been giving me an insight into the regulatory and policy perspective of the pharmaceutical industry. My main tasks are to give secretariat support to the different groups under the Regulatory, Drug development & Manufacturing and Science Policy team. It has been more than three months since I’ve started the internship and it has been very interesting to learn so many new things and have a scoop into the Brussels bubble.
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Sarah Ramezani (Publications Coordinator) My name is Sarah Ramezani. I’m a Romanian-Iranian pharmacy student based in Bucharest, the current EPSA Publications Coordinator and as of November, also an intern for Vaccines Europe, the specialised vaccines group within the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). We are a small cross-functional team with the mission to drive a sustainable and resilient vaccines environment in Europe, protecting people against infectious diseases at all stages of life. My main responsibilities are in the spheres of Communications, Public Affairs and Access and I am excited to support the industry that saved so many lives and continues to do so during the pandemic we are currently facing. Ever since starting my role, I couldn’t help but be thankful for the skills I have acquired volunteering in student associations and I aim to bring the industry perspective to EPSA and vice versa so that we could collaborate better and evolve together.
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POLICY NEWSLETTER
News from Brussels European year of youth President von der Leyen announced in her 2021 State of the Union address that 2022 should be a year dedicated to the youth, following which the Commission submitted in October its formal proposal to designate 2022 the European Year of Youth to the co-legislators. This initiative will pursue 4 main goals: 1. Renew the positive perspectives for young people, with particular focus on the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, while highlighting the benefits and opportunities of a more green and digital transition. 2. Support young people, offering opportunities for them to become active and engaged citizens. 3. Support young people in actively promoting the various opportunities available to support their personal, social, economic and professional development. 4. Mainstream youth policy across all relevant Union policy fields in line with the EU Youth Strategy 2019 – 2027. Having these objectives in mind, the Commission will coordinate several activities in close contact with the European Parliament, the Member States, regional and local authorities, youth organisations and young people themselves, supported by €8 million from Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps. The full programme of activities and further information will be available on the Youth Portal.
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The review of the general pharmaceutical legislation The last comprehensive review of the general pharmaceutical legislation occurred almost 20 years ago, no longer suiting the societal and scientific changes, as well as the new areas of concern such as antimicrobial resistance, environmental challenges and shortages of medicines that have emerged. In that context, the Pharmaceutical Strategy, adopted in November 2020, includes
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an ambitious agenda of legislative and non-legislative actions to be launched over the coming years as part of its work to create a future-proof and crisis-resilient regulatory framework for the pharmaceutical sector. The latest initiative was launched by the Commission that has published a public consultation on the revision of the EU’s pharmaceutical legislation, which was
running for twelve weeks, until 21st December, envisioned to gather the views from both the general public and stakeholders
POLICY NEWSLETTER
News from our Members Actions against Sexist and Sexual Violence (SSV)
After observations and discussions with the members of the network of ANEPF, our Vice President in charge of Social Affairs, Nesrine Benabdelkader, began to work on the subject of SSV. ANEPF has thus set up a survey on the subject to draw up a realistic inventory of the situation in the faculties of pharmacy. This survey was launched in November 2021. An article has also been dedicated to SSV in the November edition of the ANEPF journal. At the same time, we are organising numerous trainings and conferences on the topic of SSV in different cities, to raise awareness among french pharmacy students. We have also organised a general assembly under the theme of SSV, in Toulouse in November 2021. During this event, a Round Table was organized, with the participation of important stakeholders in the fight against Sexist and Sexual Violence. The CNA (national support centre for the quality of student life), also present at our Round Table, has started to take measures in the fight against SSV. The actions of ANEPF on the subject are thus concomitant to those of the French Government. It is a serious problem, too common and too little known, and it is necessary to develop a response strategy, both at national and local level. ANEPF is in full
discussion with its network to determine which strategy could be the best answer to this problem. François DIB, VP European Affairs and Théo FAVARD, VP International Affairs
licensing regulations in the next few years and the BPhD will try very hard to carry through the set goals. Roman Pratzka, Policy Coordinator of BPhD Germany
Plans on new licensing regulations for Pharmacists in Germany
APEF’s Discussion Forum - Universal Health
The German licensing regulations for Pharmacists are going to be changed in the next few years, after the last update in 2000. Therefore, the BPhD perceives the current licensing regulations to be changed and the curriculum connected to them as outdated. The BPhD formulated a position paper on this subject, in which the association´s opinion on the current situation of the pharmacy studies is displayed. It also suggests many possible changes in the regulations, which would help to enhance our studies’ up-to-date state and to prepare students for the current professional world in an optimal way. The BPhD takes part at a round table about the licensing regulations with important professional representatives where its opinions are contributed to the discussion. The BPhD created a task force that is trying to push the negotiations at the round table in a favourable direction and there will also be several action groups consisting of German pharmacy students. There are likely going to be adjustments in the
EUROPEAN PHARMACEUTICAL STUDENTS’ASSOCIATION
In Portugal, before 1974, during a period of dictatorship, health was a responsibility of families, private institutions or social security. There was no universal health service, hospitals or doctors across the country to guarantee access to health for everyone. Because of this, the National Health Service (NHS) emerged, after the end of the dictatorship, and now the Portuguese people have a system that ensures universal health coverage under the responsibility of the State. It is therefore important to invest in activities that allow students to focus on these perspectives. As a result, during November, a discussion forum was held in the field of health in democracy, which was attended by several representatives of various Portuguese political parties. It was possible to discuss topics such as access to health care in democratic states, which health policies must be urgently implemented and what the Government’s next steps are. Through these experiences, we were able to approach pharmacy students on important topics which are normally not covered during their curriculum. Helena Pires, Department of Education Policy
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National News
White Paper - The Vision of Young Pharmacists for the Decade Last November, the Portuguese Association of Young Pharmacists (APJF), presented its White Paper ‘Vision of Young Pharmacists for the Decade’ which addresses proposals to improve the health sector in Portugal. Its priority is to improve the management of resources in Health and the involvement of all health professionals in providing care and supporting patients. We highlight some proposals: - A better-informed society for health and well-being, through health literacy at various stages of education and fighting misinformation; - Universal access to technology and innovation, through the Value Based Healthcare (VBHC) model across the entire healthcare system and better access to the clinical data of the patients; - A modernization of the pharmacist’s skills framework, through the innovation of the educational model of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Portugal, with the adaptation of the curriculum to the evolution of the professional reality of pharmacists and prioritise clinical practice. The White Paper was created after consulting several health professionals, academics and policy makers, and will also be discussed with various entities in the health sector. APEF took part in the working group which created this document and participated in the discussion during the public session of the presentation of the White Paper.
Helena Pires, Department of Education Policy of APEF Portugal
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POLICY NEWSLETTER
Trilateral coalition agreement formed by the new German After the elections in September, German parties Die Grüne, FDP and SPD agreed on building a ruling coalition. Die Grüne can be perceived as positioned on the left political spectrum, whereas the FDP is considered as a party supporting neoliberal views and the SPD is the social democratic party in Germany. The new chancellor, thus the successor to Angela Merkel will be SPD-politician Olaf Scholz. In terms of politics in the pharmaceutical field, a strong shift towards more climate friendly regulations, mainly devised by Die Grüne, can be expected. All three parties support the controlled legalisation of cannabis, which means community pharmacies could be a possible place of sale for cannabis in the future. The new coalition is also planning on permitting pharmacists to vaccinate against CoViD-19 in pharmacies, which the BPhD strongly supports. Furthermore, plans to foster the digital development and autonomy of community pharmacies were being formulated. The agreement also states that the taxation of bigger companies shall remain unchanged. Such a heterogeneous coalition presents a novelty in Germany and we are excited about which ways the initiatives will be realised!
Marie-Madeleine Fürbeth, Liaison Secretariat of BPhD Germany
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Vaccination by pharmacy students in community pharmacies There has been new legislation regarding vaccination by pharmacy students in the community pharmacies. Regarding covid: Added that 2nd cycle (4th and 5th year) pharmacy students (3rd short cycle could already = 6th year) can vaccinate any person (except severe allergies). Regarding the flu: Added that 2nd cycle and 3rd short cycle pharmacy students can vaccinate adults against influenza in the pharmacy (except severe allergies). ⚠️The authorization of the vaccination against the flu is being in a text of management of the sanitary crisis. Once we go out of the crisis and if it is not registered in another law, the students will not have any more the authorization to vaccinate against the flu ⚠️ In both cases, to vaccinate, students must : - Have completed the practical and theoretical vaccination instruction in their studies - Or have been trained in COVID-19 vaccination by a health professional trained in vaccine administration (e.g. a pharmacist who vaccinates). Vaccination in the pharmacy by the student is done under the supervision of a pharmacist trained in vaccination.
François DIB, VP European Affairs Théo FAVARD, VP International Affairs
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POLICY NEWSLETTER
News from EPSA’s Alumni Marko Ocokoljić Greetings EPSA family, My name is Marko Ocokoljić, and I come from Serbia but am currently centred in Belgium. It is a true delight to be featured in this edition of the EPSA Policy Newsletter as an Alumnus and share insights on my engagement in policy and regulatory activities from the bubble of the EU capital. Before we dive into the EU policy landscape, I would like to share a few words about my EPSA journey. For as long as I can remember, I was a proponent of education and lifelong learning with deep rooted passion for health and people’s rights activism. Aside from my previous longterm commitment to EPSA and the National Association of Pharmacy Students – Serbia (NAPSer), I am still involved as an EPSA Alumni Advisory Board Member and Senior Trainer. In the remit of my daily commitment, I dedicate my energy and enthusiasm to childhood cancer as part of the European Society for Paediatric Oncology (SIOP Europe, or SIOPE) – an entity representing healthcare professionals and researchers, and Childhood Cancer International – Europe (CCI Europe) – an entity representing patient, parent and survivor groups, where I advocate for better access to diagnosis, treatment and care modalities across Europe,in order to improve the lives of the younger citizens. To bring you closer to this important field, I have decided to tell you more about the EU Orphan and Paediatric Regulations and the SIOPE Access to Medicines Project that you might find rather insightful and educational.
The EU Orphan and Paediatric Regulations
SIOPE Access to Medicines Project
As part of the core team of this project, I had the privilege to support young paediatric oncology This specific file is one of the key regulations I am experts in conducting a review to create an working on with the aim to foster innovation and updated evidence-based reference list of essential accelerate paediatric cancer medicine development. medicines for all paediatric cancer diseases that To understand the European childhood cancer should be always accessible to children who require community needs on the legislation, please read them across Europe. The aim is also to feed into our 6 Key Recommendations intending to advance the revisions of the WHO Model List of Essential patients’ access to medicines, boost innovation and Medicines for Children (EMLc) every 2 years. improve the regulatory environment for children with cancer. EUROPEAN PHARMACEUTICAL STUDENTS’ASSOCIATION
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We have succeeded this past September (2021) in adding a selection of new paediatric cancer medicines and indications to the updated WHO EMLc. All the details can be found here. Additional materials for reading and events to attend: - Childhood Cancer International Day – EU Policy Webinar (2 February 2022): Click here to register. - 3rd SIOPE Annual Meeting in Valencia, Spain: Click here to read. - Current policy objectives from the European childhood cancer community: Click here to read.
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POLICY NEWSLETTER
