The spring season is back and with it the increase on allergy troubles. Allergies affect more than 20% of the EU population. Today, 150 million Europeans are living with allergies, the most prevalent chronic disease in Europe. To put allergy to pollen on the agenda we participated in March at the final conference of the Atopica project (Atopic diseases in changing climate, land use and air quality). Funded by the EU Seventh Framework Programme for Research, we collaborated throughout the project and brought the patient perspective to the final conference. Read more...

MEPs Sirpa Pietikainen and Nessa Childers, patients and doctors have joined forces in an Interest Group to take actions on allergy and asthma in Europe, that was launched on 25 March at the European Parliament. We are delighted that the European Commission DG Research and Innovation, DG Environment, DG SANTE and the WHO Europe, together with our partners ERS and HEAL and industry representatives attended the launch. Read More...

March was full of novelties! WHO published a report on the access to new medicines in Europe and the EEA published the State of the Environment report linking environmental policies to our health. The Commission announced a prize for alternative solutions to the use of antibiotics and the European Patients Forum (EPF) adopted its positions on adherence/concordance and on the communication of clinical trials results to patients. Read More...

We are delighted to share with you our new report to harmonize prevention, care and rehabilitation for COPD patients across Europe! The report focuses on healthcare systems and policies in 19 European countries and will serve as an advocacy tool for policy change for COPD at national level. In March, we also met with airport representatives to reduce obstacles for COPD patients under oxygen treatment deciding to travel by plane. Read More...


In March, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and travelled to Abu Dhabi to provide the patient perspective during the World Conference on Tobacco or Health. In this section you will also get updated about the European Parliament initiative to fight the tobacco lobby and the latest steps towards tobacco plain packaging. Read More...

Much new evidence of interest for allergy, asthma and COPD patients was published in March. We attended the launch of the EMA 20th years anniversary, the Roadmap for sustainable care, the EEA State of the Environment Report and the Healthy Homes Eurobarometer. EFA also attended the European Summit on Innovation for Active and Healthy Ageing and we participated in several seminars on medicines and clinical trials. Read More...

All over Europe allergy, asthma and COPD patients are improving the way they communicate, it is the case of the new websites from FARES, AFPRAL, la Ligue Pulmonaire Suisse and Austrian Lungenunion. In Bulgaria, ABBA has launched the Breathe Air campaign and in Finland and France EFA Members focused on raising awareness about allergy during special national allergy days. Read More...

 
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