EFA’s board meeting looked ahead into 2014 in providing ideas for EFA membership strategy. EFA members who have not answered our polls regarding allergy & asthma, food allergy and COPD working group teleconferences, please do so or contact info@efanet.org. EFA is now on both Twitter @EFA_Patient, and Facebook too! In this issue of the e-Zine, read our monthly review of news updates, meetings, EU projects and EU policy affecting patients asthma, allergy and COPD.

In February and March, EFA took part in two important meetings organised by the European Medicines Agency in London. The first was a workshop on medication errors attended by EFA Board Secretary Per-Åke Wecksell while the second event, attended by EFA Board member Lina Buzermaniene, focused on the new legislation on falsified medicines and the new EU pharmacovigilence legislation. Read More...

In member news this month, we bring you the latest information from our members in the Netherlands and in Finland. Longfonds attempts to increase patient participation in lung research got special attention in the latest issue of the international medical journal Health. Our Finnish member, the Finnish Allergy and Asthma Federation is now getting ready for their yearly campaign Allergyweek which will be accompanied by more than 100 thematic events. Read More...

EFA has attended meetings throughout March internationally and locally in Brussels-based events. Representatives of EFA were present at conferences on personalised medicine, air pollution and innovation to monitor the latest developments in these areas and represent the voice of European patients. EFA president Breda Flood also delivered a presentation on personalised approach to severe asthma in Dublin. Read More...

EFA has been involved in the preparation of the new U-BIOPRED Newsletter and a questionnaire for participants in the clinical studies of the U-BIOPRED Project, which seeks to improve future clinical studies and explore participants’ expectations for them. EFA is also promoting the creation of a template for National Allergy Programmes, which were proposed by MeDALL consortium partners. Read More...

EFA has been busy this month in ensuring that the voice of patients with asthma, allergy and COPD is heard by policy-makers involved in several pieces of legislations. Click here for more information on EFA efforts to shape legislation relating to European air quality, environment, tobacco, medical devices and clinical trials.

EFA has been involved in several activities concerning air quality during the month of March. In this section we bring you the latest updates on the HEAL report on coal power plants and their effects on health, information about a meeting on clean air held in the European Parliament and also result of the last Eurobarometer. Read More...