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Hepatitis C-free Europe is possible by 2030 /
EU HCV Summit Brussels Webcast 2/17/2016
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Download the PDF here
BRUSSELS, 17 February 2016 - Europe's leading experts, medical specialists and patient advocacy groups on hepatitis announced their intention to work towards the elimination of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) in Europe by 2030.
http://www.hcvbrusselssummit.eu/images/documents/press-releases/Press_Release_-_HCV_Policy_Summit_2016_02_17-2.pdf
Newsletter - Hepatitis B & C Public Policy Association - Feb 16 2016 issue: pdf attached herein for download
SUMMIT WEBCAST / Brussels Feb 16 2016
EU HCV Elimination Summit Feb 17 2016 in Brussels
http://www.hcvbrusselssummit.eu/live
The HCV Policy Summit will take place on Wednesday, 17th February 2016 from 1.30pm to 6.30pm.
The venue for the Summit is the Bibliothe que Solvay, Parc Le opold, Belliardstraat 137, 1040 Brussels.
The 'Hepatitis C Elimination Manifesto' was presented at the first EU HCV Policy Summit, organized by the Hepatitis B and C Public Policy Association, and supported by the main European patient and clinician groups.
About Elimination
⋅ Elimination of a disease is intended as the reduction to zero of the incidence of a specified
disease in a defined geographical area as a result of deliberate efforts.
⋅ HCV elimination was made possible by recent therapeutic advances, which have made HCV
curable in the majority of instances - cure rates have progressed from 6% in 1991 (first
interferon approved treatment for HCV) to over 90% in 2014 (directly acting antivirals
introduced).
⋅ Holistic approaches and strategies to improve overall awareness, increase testing for those
at risk and link infected individuals to specific care pathways need to be developed.
About the "Hepatitis C Elimination Manifesto"
The main authors of the "Hepatitis C Elimination Manifesto" are:
⋅ Prof Jeffrey V. Lazarus, University of Copenhagen (Denmark)
⋅ Prof Mark Thursz, Imperial College, London (UK)
⋅ Prof Pierre Van Damme, Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board, Vaccine and Infectious Disease
Institute, Antwerp (Belgium)
⋅ Prof Angelos Hatzakis, Athens University Medical School (Greece)
HepBC PPA HCV Summit
Dear Participants,
http://www.hcvbrusselssummit.eu/hepbc-ppa-hcv-summit
As you are aware, a lot has happened in recent years in the European Hepatitis C policy and medical space, where we have witnessed major therapeutic advances. Hepatitis C is now curable with all oral, safe, short-term regimens.
Due to these developments, the elimination of HCV in Europe is no longer a distant vision but has become a genuine possibility. The ingredients to eliminate one of Europe's major health burdens are there. Seizing this opportunity, however, will require a common commitment to action and close cooperation from all stakeholders involved, in particular policy-makers.
Against this background, we will organise the First EU HCV Policy Summit, to make the EU and, more importantly, national policy-makers understand the emerging possibility to effectively eliminate HCV in Europe, and to provide them with a political vision and a framework for action.
The HCV Policy Summit will provide an exceptional opportunity to meet and connect with Europe's leading policymakers and experts on HCV. It will bring together over 100 members of National and European Parliaments, high-level government officials, experts and opinion leaders from across Europe in a unique multi-stakeholder set-up with the aim to:
⋅ Learn more about the genuine possibility to eliminate one of the most important public health challenges in Europe
⋅ Exchange views on the key elements of a successful elimination strategy
⋅ Map existing best practices across Europe
⋅ Identify the ingredients for successful policy action on EU and national level
⋅ Launch a call to action in the form of an Elimination Manifesto
Angelos Hatzakis, MD, PhD
Co-Chair, Hepatitis B & C Public Policy Association
Professor of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Athens University Medical School
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BRUSSELS, February 17, 2016
Europe's leading experts, medical specialists and patient advocacy groups on hepatitis announced their intention to work towards the elimination of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) in Europe by 2030.
The 'Hepatitis C Elimination Manifesto' was presented at the first EU HCV Policy Summit, organised by the Hepatitis B and C Public Policy Association, and supported by the main European patient and clinician groups.
Signatories of the 'Hepatitis C Elimination Manifesto' pledge to:
⋅ Make hepatitis C and its elimination in Europe an explicit public health priority to be pursued at all levels
⋅ Ensure that patients, civil society groups and other relevant stakeholders are directly involved in developing and implementing hepatitis C elimination strategies
⋅ Pay particular attention to the links between hepatitis C and social marginalisation
⋅ Introduce a European Hepatitis Awareness Week
Vytenis Andriukaitis, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, delivered a keynote speech at the event, commenting: "Hepatitis C has in the past been referred to as a "silent" epidemic within the European Union. It is high time that we brought this "silent" epidemic out of the shadows and into the light, so I welcome initiatives such as this Summit and the Elimination Manifesto to create momentum for action, for raising awareness and for stimulating discussion".
After twenty five years of research, scientists have delivered the means to effectively cure hepatitis C, paving the way for elimination in Europe within the next decade. "What would have taken a hundred years for us to achieve, is now at hand! This is a unique opportunity, but political action is needed to make this happen", stated Prof Angelos Hatzakis, Co-Chair of the Hepatitis B and C Public Policy Association. "Our 'Elimination Manifesto' is a rallying platform for policymakers and advocates. If we act now, Europe will be hepatitis C free by 2030", continued Prof Hatzakis.
The specific challenges of hepatitis C require holistic, people-centred, health system-wide approaches to disease awareness, prevention and integrated care, with all stakeholders combining their diverse skills and resources in a unified response.
"Succeeding against hepatitis C in Europe is even more important given the current international crises and refugee flows towards our countries", explained Cristian-Silviu Buşoi, Member of the European Parliament and Co-chair of the Parliament's Friends of the Liver group. Buşoi continued: "Elimination strategies need to take into consideration the links between hepatitis C and marginalised groups, such as recent migrants, people who inject drugs and others."
"The Manifesto sets out our vision and commitment to eliminate hepatitis C in Europe", declared Prof Michael P. Manns, Co-Chair of the Hepatitis B and C Public Policy Association, "concrete actions at all levels must follow to achieve our goal". The Manifesto will be presented to national and local governments as well as to the European institutions to encourage action.
Signatories
The Elimination Manifesto is supported by the following organisations:
⋅ European Liver Patients Association (ELPA)
⋅ European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL)
⋅ Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board (VHPB)
⋅ The Correlation Network
⋅ The International Center for Migration Health and Development (ICMHD)
⋅ The World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA)
⋅ Hepatitis B and C Public Policy Association
About Hepatitis C in Europe
⋅ In the EU more people die each year from HCV than from HIV.
⋅ HCV is 7 times more prevalent than HIV in Europe.
⋅ An estimated 15 million Europeans are chronically infected, including 5.5 million living in EU; each year there are 27,000-29,000 newly diagnosed HCV cases in the EU/EEA.
⋅ Existing evidence shows that, for some European countries, annual deaths from HCV have quadrupled over the past 20 years.
About the first EU HCV Summit
The EU HCV Summit was organised by the Hepatitis B & C Public Policy Association in partnership with European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL), the European Liver Patient Association (ELPA) and the Correlation Network. It was financially supported by AbbVie, BMS, Gilead and MSD. The Summit, which was attended by 120 policymakers and stakeholders from across Europe and beyond, was officially endorsed by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), the International Centre for Migration, Health and Development (ICMHD), the European Parliament Friends of the Liver Group and the World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA).
About Hepatitis B & C Public Policy Association
The Hepatitis B & C Public Policy Association was founded in 2009 by a group of leading European scientists, public health experts and patient advocates. We aim to urge and facilitate the formulation of public policies at national and international level for the communication, prevention and management of viral Hepatitis B and C. The Association ' s unique approach in furtherance of this aim is to gather together, and work in partnership with, the major stakeholders in the field of these diseases including regulators, patients, clinicians, public health and civil society communities and the private sector.
For more information about the Association ' s activities please visit http://www.hepbcppa.org
For more information, please contact :
Ann Fox, Hepatitis B & C Public Policy Association
afox@hepbcppa.org
19 rue Euge ne Ruppert
L-2453 Luxembourg
Tel: +39-339-65-96-105
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