Patient advocates from Latin America are about to get schooled – in the best possible way. The first collaborative education program for advocacy leaders, Miami’s Latin American Patient Academy, now offers the only program of its kind in the world. The academy allows advocacy organizations to strengthen their leaders in three areas: Regulations Evaluation of … Continued

Do patients have a say in what drug they’re given at hospital? In Portugal, the National Commission for Pharmacy and Therapeutics gave a resounding “yes” this month with a newly released clarification document. The document addresses the use of biosimilars and any switching from a reference product to a biosimilar.  The issue was the subject … Continued

Heart patients in Europe have something to celebrate. This week, the European Commission approved a groundbreaking new drug, evolocumab, to prevent heart attack and stroke for patients who have already survived a cardiac event.  The approval marks the entry of an important new tool for secondary prevention. Evolocumab is a PCSK9 inhibitor, which reduces cardiovascular … Continued

Patient advocacy organisations know the power of the patient voice when it comes to accessing medicine. Just consider Arthritis Ireland.  As highlighted during a recent Global Alliance for Patient Access webinar, the group saw patient input make a difference during the country’s experience with access to lidocaine patches.  The medication numbs the skin to help … Continued

by Neil Betteridge  Living with pain is hardly a walk in the park. Unless, of course, it’s Sine Dolore World Park, the annual week-long event that uses the concept of a theme park to heighten awareness about the impact of chronic pain. The fourth consecutive Sine Dolore World Park occurs 1-6 May, 2018 in Menorca. Founded … Continued

How accessible is your health care?  It all depends upon where you live, as a new report from the European Federation of Crohn’s & Ulcerative Colitis Associations confirms. With the help of 32 member associations, the federation worked from October 2016 to December 2017 to examine patients’ access to innovative medicine across 31 European countries.  … Continued

by Brian Kennedy, Executive Director, Global Alliance for Patient Access Declaring equal rights is a noble gesture.  But history teaches us that it is just the first step in a complex, years-long process – actually establishing and protecting those rights. I was reminded of this reality just recently, when I spoke at a meeting of the … Continued

La Alianza Global se está preparando para compartir temas centrales de acceso de los pacientes en dos importantes eventos de política de América Latina este año. Reunión G20 ARGENTINA El G20 es el principal foro internacional para la cooperación económica, financiera y política. Los lideres mundiales participan en esto. Es un espacio clave para el … Continued