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HERA: what is the future of the European pandemic preparedness response?
The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasised the need for a coordinated pan-European response to health emergencies. On Tuesday, 19 September, AmCham EU hosted a Plenary meeting to address the future of the European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) and the lessons that can be learned from the American Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).
The event kicked off with a panel on advancing transatlantic coordination in pandemic preparedness moderated by Emilia Valbum (3M), Vice-Chair, Healthcare Committee, AmCham EU. The conversation featured experts from Europe and the US including Tamara Weinger-Požar, Deputy Ambassador to the Permanent Representation of Slovenia; Karel Lannoo, Chief Executive, CEPS and Christopher Houchens, Director, Division of CBRN Countermeasures, BARDA. The panel centred around the need for an ambitious plan for HERA, the necessity to support research and development (R&D) as well as the role of industry.
It was followed by a keynote address delivered by Pierre Delsaux, Deputy Director-General, Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, European Commission. Mr Delsaux highlighted that HERA will look beyond institutions and old governance models and focus on ensuring further support for R&D.
A link between HERA and BREDA will also be crucial to pandemic preparedness.With a need for better access to data, support from and to the industry as well as allocated funding, HERA can prove a valuable solution to the future of pandemic preparedness if it manages to touch on the entire lifecycle of medicines and work to ensure cross-border collaboration.
Watch Emilia Valbum and Karel Lannoo discuss the role of HERA and how businesses can support it.