Inside EU Health

Inside EU Health: Biotech Act; Critical Medicines Act; preparedness

MEPs supportive of draft Biotech report, but divisions over incentives remain; Critical Medicines Act text finalised; preparedness should include all viral families, say international organisations

Biotech Act

MEPs supportive of draft Biotech report, but divisions over incentives remain

The European Parliament's first debate on its draft  Biotech Act report showed broad political support for strengthening Europe's biotechnology sector, while exposing disagreements over how best to boost innovation, streamline clinical trials and incentivise investment. Presenting their joint report, co-rapporteurs Wouter Beke MEP (EPP, Belgium)

Inside EU Health

Inside EU Health: Heat resilience; EMA recommendations; Sanofi disparagement

Europe’s deadly heatwave highlights growing climate threat to health; EMA recommends three new medicines and an orphan treatment for rare Rett Syndrome; Commission opens disparagement investigation into Sanofi

EMA

EMA recommends three new medicines and an orphan treatment for rare Rett Syndrome

EMA’s human medicines committee (CHMP) recommended six medicines for approval at its June 2026 meeting

Competition

Commission opens disparagement investigation into Sanofi

The European Commission has opened a formal antitrust investigation to assess possible anticompetitive conduct by Sanofi

Inside EU Health

Inside EU Health: Cardiovascular; Ebola; North Macedonia joins EU4Health

MEPs adopt cardiovascular strategy, prioritising early detection and risk reduction; France reports first case of Ebola and WHO launches its first trials; North Macedonia joins the EU4Health programme

Cardiovascular disease

MEPs adopt cardiovascular strategy, prioritising early detection and risk reduction

On Wednesday (24 June), Parliament’s Public Health Committee adopted its response to the EU’s first-ever cardiovascular health plan

Ebola

France reports first case of Ebola and WHO launches its first trials

France has confirmed its first case of Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease linked to the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Inside EU Health

Inside EU Health: Cancer-causing chemicals; patient groups want HTA improvements; benefits of investing in innovative medicines

EU agrees tougher protections against cancer-causing chemicals; patient groups welcome progress on EU HTA while calling for further improvements; every €1 invested in innovative medicines returns €5.67 in benefits, claims EFPIA

Inside EU Health

Inside EU Health: Public benefit for EU research; US trade challenge to Germany; SoHo

50 organisations call for public benefit from publicly funded medicines research; Lange warns ‘Section 301’ investigation threatens Turnberry trade deal; ECDC unveils harmonised screening standards for HBV and HCV screening

EU/US Trade

Lange warns ‘Section 301’ investigation threatens Turnberry trade deal

Trump administration's probe into German pharmaceutical pricing raises doubts over EU-US Turnberry trade agreement

Inside EU Health

Inside EU Health: Parliament supports wastewater revision; eHealth

Commission defends Urban Wastewater Directive against EPP-ECR challenge; EU narrows gap to 2030 health data target by 4% points

Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive

Commission defends Urban Wastewater Directive against EPP-ECR challenge

The European Parliament has adopted an EPP-backed resolution calling for a reassessment of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD)

Inside EU Health

Inside EU Health: Trump tariff threat; tobacco taxation; G7 cancer commitment; Ebola

Trump continues to threaten pharma tariffs; Parliament rejects tobacco taxation report; EU backs coordinated Ebola response and commits further €31.5 million; G7 leaders renew commitment to fight cancer

Inside EU Health

Inside EU Health: MFN; wastewater treatment; medical devices; social media

Implications of MFN note before summer; Várhelyi reassures ministers on Urban Wastewater Treatment implementation; on medical devices divisions persist over governance; special panel on online child safety will present its final report on 13 July

Inside EU Health

Inside EU Health: EPSCO - Biotech Act, Medical Devices and Urban wastewater treatment; heat action plans; vaccines

EU health ministers to discuss wastewater rules, the Biotech Act and medical devices; Europe lost 200,000 people to heat in 4 years; MEPs and health groups call for stronger vaccine R&D funding in next EU budget

EPSCO

EU health ministers may demand further review of Urban Wastewater rules

Tomorrow, health ministers will discuss an agreed position on the European Biotech Act I directive, but the real discussions may lie elsewhere

Inside EU Health

Inside EU Health: Co-ordinated pricing and reimbursement; Biotech Act SPC; COVID-19 contracts

Beneluxa Initiative calls for pricing and reimbursement coordination; EFPIA argues that the Biotech Act 12-month extension to SPC is too narrow ; AG recommends dismissing Commission appeal on COVID-19 contract access

Inside EU Health

Inside EU Health: Ireland’s health priorities; pharmacies and preparedness

Ireland’s Presidency of the EU will link health and competitiveness; PGEU outlines the vital role of community pharmacies in preparedness

Irish Presidency

Ireland’s Presidency of the EU will link health and competitiveness

Regulatory reform will headline Ireland's EU Presidency agenda, with the Biotech Act and medical devices overhaul leading negotiations

Inside EU Health

Inside EU Health: Illicit drugs report; tobacco and nicotine; Ebola latest

EU Drugs Agency warns of new health risks, including a rising trend in ketamine use; Smoke Free Partnership accuses tobacco lobby of ‘dirty tricks’ in EU consultation; EU commits further €16.5 million for Ebola outbreak

Illegal drugs

EU Drugs Agency warns of new health risks, including a rising trend in ketamine use

Europe’s illicit drugs market is rapidly evolving and increasingly dangerous, according to the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA)

Inside EU Health

Inside EU Health: Nicotine taxation; Wegovy; Várhelyi defends EU’s approach; future-proof vaccine

Sweden blocks tobacco tax package; Wegovy pill prescribed once every five seconds; Von der Leyen wants faster development of new cancer treatments; Várhelyi says unilateral measures by the US against the EU ‘would not be justified’; a future-proofed vaccine could prevent pandemics before they begin

Ebola

Várhelyi says unilateral measures by the US against the EU ‘would not be justified’

EU health ministers met by video conference to discuss the Ebola outbreak

Inside EU Health

Inside EU Health: Biotech Act; EU budget; patient organisations

ENVI committee raises doubts over Biotech Act SPC extension; 490 health experts urge EU to ring-rence €10 billion for health in EU budget; barometer on the involvement of patient organisations