Nearly half of the 31 European nations using the European Union’s new digital COVID travel certificate have recognized the India-made version of the AstraZeneca vaccine, Covishield, alongside its European-made counterpart, Vaxzevria, an analysis by Health Policy Watch has revealed.  But other major countries, including France, Poland, and Italy, seem to be holding out, authorizing only […] Continue reading ->
Travellers who are fully vaccinated with vaccines authorised in the European Union (EU) “should” be allowed entry for non-essential travel – even if these vaccines were not “produced in facilities covered by the marketing authorisation in the EU”, a European Commission spokesperson for health, food safety and transport told Health Policy Watch on Wednesday.   At […] Continue reading ->
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has officially authorized expanded capacity in three new vaccine manufacturing facilities on the continent producing AstraZeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines – a move that the agency says should also help pharma suppliers ramp up their deliveries of now scarce vaccines to European Union bloc countries.  At the same time, a […] Continue reading ->
The European Medicines Agency’s safety committee (PRAC) on Thursday gave a resounding endorsement of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19, concluding that the vaccine’s benefits vaccine “far outweigh” any risks  –  despite a possible link between some vaccinations and rare cases of blood clotting associated with low levels of blood platelets. The EMA statement followed two […] Continue reading ->
Bad Hofgastein, Austria – A call to action to make stronger individual and collective commitments for climate change and health marked the end of the European Health Forum (Gastein). The closing plenary session, titled “the global climate crisis: a public health emergency,” ended the varied program with discussions on two issues high on the political […] Continue reading ->
Bad Hofgastein, Austria – A stronger research agenda for cannabis is urgently required to guide European health policymakers through a bewildering maze of medical and recreational cannabis and cannabinoid products that are fast emerging on the European market, said researchers and policymakers at a panel session of the 2019 European Health Forum (Gastein), which concluded […] Continue reading ->
Bad Hofgastein, Austria – Promoting an “economy of well-being” can drive European development agendas more sustainably, as well as making health systems more human-centered and responsive to client’s needs, said Finland’s Vice Minister of Social Affairs and Health in a keynote address Thursday at the European Health Forum (Gastein). The three-day conference, which began Wednesday, […] Continue reading ->
The 2019 European Health Forum (Gastein) opens Wednesday under this year’s theme: “A Healthy Dose of Disruption.” The three-day Forum will explore ways in which Europe can transform health systems into levers of good health and well-being, guided by the aspirations of the recent UN declaration on Universal Health Coverage. Since its foundation in 1998, […] Continue reading ->