Rare Disease Blogs

The European Union and its Member States are faced with the challenge of an emerging field in medicine: personalised medicine. Therapeutic interventions, and in particular medicinal products, are increasingly intended for well targeted and smaller patient populations.

These interventions are usually intended for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, cure or long term management of severe, debilitating, life-threatening diseases. They are using high value innovations, made possible thanks to the progress of medical research such as: pharmacology, gene therapy, cell therapy, tissue engineering, gene testing and other sophisticated diagnostic tools, including medical imaging and high-tech medical devices. Bringing these innovations to patients, as well as guaranteeing the best possible care and medical practices, while optimising the use of healthcare resources, requires both a higher concentration of expertise and an increased collaboration at the EU level.

This challenge is one more reason for policy makers at Member States level as well as at European level to make rare diseases an always higher priority in the EU 8^th Research Framework Programme and the 3^rd EU Health Policy Programme, both covering the period 2014-2020. Rare diseases are the laboratory to prepare the future of healthcare. Rare diseases are already at the forefront to help shape the future of healthcare.

Related Links:

• EU 7th Framework Programme